Danol for Premenstrual Syndrome: A Preliminary Report of a Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Study

Introduction Danol (danazoI) is a synthetic steroid which has been found to be effective in the treatment of a variety of gynaecological and endocrinological disorders including endometriosis (Young & Blackmore 1977), fibroadenosis (Mansel 1982) and other benign diseases of the breast, and menorrhagia (Chimbira 1980). Danol can suppress the hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle and might, therefore, be expected to be helpful to patients with the premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Indeed, it appears that many gynaecologists use Danol successfully in PMS although its efficacy has not, until now, been put to the test in doubleblind, placebo-controlled trials.