Assessing the impact of oral isotretinoin on the menstrual cycle: A prospective study on predictors of menstrual irregularities

Alshiyab, Diala, Marie, Haitham Bassam, Alrawashdeh, Raghad, Alrawashdeh, Nour, Ahmed, Yaman B. and Atwan, Ausama 2024. Assessing the impact of oral isotretinoin on the menstrual cycle: A prospective study on predictors of menstrual irregularities. Medicina 60 (5) , 832. 10.3390/medicina60050832

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Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the association between the use of oral isotretinoin and menstrual irregularities in acne patients with previously regular menstrual cycles. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 58,599 female patients aged 14 to 36 at King Abdullah University Hospital in Irbid, Jordan. The patients were followed for a period of 4.5 to 8 months during treatment and for 2 months post-treatment. Menstrual cycle changes were documented, and statistical analysis was performed to identify any significant associations. Results: A total of 111 (37.1%) patients, who were previously known to have regular menstrual cycles, complained of menstrual changes while using oral isotretinoin. Ninety-nine of those patients who complained of menstrual changes had their cycles back to normal post-treatment. There is a significant difference in the total accumulative dose between those with changes in menses and those without; p-value [0.008]. The most common change that occurred was amenorrhea (p < 0.001), followed by oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia (p < 0.001 and p = 0.050, respectively). The duration of treatment was a significant predictor of menstrual irregularities, with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.106 (95% CI: 1.371–19.020, p = 0.015), indicating a higher likelihood of menstrual changes with increased treatment duration. The total accumulative dose was also significantly associated with menstrual irregularities (OR = 0.964; 95% CI: 0.939–0.990; p = 0.006). Additionally, a family history of PCOS significantly increased the odds of menstrual irregularities (OR = 3.783; 95% CI: 1.314–10.892; p = 0.014). Conclusions: The study identified that 37.1% of the participants experienced changes in their menstrual cycles while undergoing isotretinoin therapy, with the vast majority (89.2%) returning to normal within two months post-treatment. Our logistic regression analysis pinpointed the duration of isotretinoin treatment, the total accumulative dose, and a family history of PCOS as significant predictors of menstrual irregularities.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Type: open-access
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	1010-660X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 June 2024
Date of Acceptance:	16 May 2024
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2024 13:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169636

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