ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Abstract

Objective: Comparison of Efficacy of tranexamic acid with Norethisterone in decreasing  amount of menstrual blood loss and the frequency of side effects in the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding with menorrhagia.
Study design: Randomized Controlled trial.
Setting:  Obstetrics/Gynae Unit II, Holy Family Hospital. Rawalpindi.
Duration of study: 15th May 2006 to 15th Nov 2006.
Patients and Methods: There were sixty patients were included in the study who were selected by consecutive sampling and were divided into group A and B (random allocation) having 30 patients in each group receiving Norethisterone and Tranexamic acid respectively.
Results:  The results showed that menstrual blood loss during the treatment cycles in  terms of number of days of bleeding and number of pads used, were significantly reduced as compared to the cycles before treatment, in both Norethisterone (10.57±3.2 days before treatment  to 8.0±1.84days  after treatment) and Tranexamic acid groups (10.64±2.6days to 7.6±1.8days) with (p-value <0.01).However hemoglobin concentration assessed at the end of the treatment cycles has no statistically significant change as compared to hemoglobin at the start of the treatment. Frequency of side effects was more in Norethisterone group but it is not statistically significant.
Conclusion:  In conclusion although both Transexamic acid and Norethisterone are effective and safe drugs to be used in the treatment of patients having dysfunctional uterine bleeding with menorrhagia but the trend is more towards Tranexamic acid.
Keywords: dysfunctional uterine bleeding, menorrhagia, Tranexamic acid, Norethisterone