Survey: A Clinical Study of a New Medication for Heavy Periods

Is this topic important to you and why?

A Clinical Study Comparing New Medication to Usual Treatment for Heavy Periods

Heavy periods (heavy menstrual bleeding) affect 1 in 3 women and can seriously impact daily life. For many with heavy periods, this can mean experiencing passing clots bigger than a 10p piece, wearing more than one form of period products (tampon and pads), flooding and the fear of leakage.

Usual treatments include Progestins offered as tablets, injections, or as the hormonal coil inside the womb. Progestins are synthetic hormones similar to the natural hormone progesterone. These help many women but don’t always cure the problem and can cause side effects.

Many women still need surgery, such as removing the womb (or uterus) lining or the whole womb (hysterectomy), which isn't an option for those wanting to get pregnant or wishing to keep their womb. COVID-19 has made waiting times for these surgeries very long, up to two years or sometimes longer.

A new promising medicine, taken as a daily pill, has been shown to improve heavy periods in women with fibroids by stopping menstrual cycles temporarily. It contains a small dose of hormones to prevent symptoms that may occur like hot flushes and the risk of bone loss. This new medicine offers a reversible alternative to removing the womb, allowing normal menstrual cycles and fertility to return once the medication is stopped.

Without a clinical study showing that it works, this new medicine cannot be offered to women as a treatment option. Plus, we need to see if it also helps women who have heavy periods and who may not have fibroids but may have other causes of heavy menstrual bleeding including a condition known as adenomyosis (when the inside lining of the uterus grows into its muscle wall).

Is it important to you that a clinical study to compare this new medication with the currently used Progestins for heavy periods is conducted?

We would like to hear your opinions. Please complete this very short questionnaire - thank you!

Disclaimer: Although we mention women we are talking about AFAB (assigned female at birth) or those who menstruate.

1.Do you menstruate?

Yes

2.Do you currently have heavy periods?

Yes

3.Have you experienced heavy periods in the past?

Yes

4.How important is it to you to find new treatments for heavy periods?

Very important

Somewhat important

Not important

I’m not sure

5.Do you think conducting a clinical study comparing the new medication to usual treatments is needed?

Yes, it’s very needed

Yes, but I have some reservations

No, current treatments are sufficient

I’m not sure

6.Which of the reasons below for conducting this clinical study do you think are important? (select as many as you want)

Reducing the time, a person may have to wait for surgery

Offering a reversible alternative to removal of the womb (hysterectomy)

Allowing normal menstrual cycles and fertility to return once the medication is stopped

Offering an alternative medication which may reduce side effects from current hormonal treatment

Other (please specify)

7.If you experience heavy periods and are offered clear information about the new medication, would you be willing to participate in a clinical study? (Please note: this is just a hypothetical question, and we won't approach you to take part)

Yes

Maybe

Not applicable

8.Please tell us more about why this is an important clinical study.

We know that certain characteristics, such as ethnic identity, can influence health experiences and outcomes. Therefore, in the question below, we are collecting information about it to better understand its influence on responses and to ensure our survey is representative.