(Reuters Health) – The AbbVie drug elagolix, already used to treat the pain of endometriosis, can significantly reduce the chances of heavy menstrual bleeding caused by uterine fibroids, according to the results of two studies reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the uterus that can cause problems such as pain, pressure, heavy periods and infertility in as many as half the women who have them. They are very common, particularly among African American women.

The elagolix treatment, if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, could give women a new option for dealing with the bleeding. Current treatment sometimes involves injections given monthly or every three months. Elagolix is a pill whose effects appear and fade much more rapidly and predictably. The new studies did not directly compare the two treatments.

“This does provide a different approach and many women may prefer that,” lead study author Dr. William Schlaff of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia told Reuters Health in a telephone interview. “We know it’s effective for at least six months. If that can be prolonged, it could act as a bridge to get to menopause, where hormone levels drop naturally.”

“But if you’re 32 years old (with a fibroid bleeding problem) this may not be a bridge you want to use for 20 years,” he said. Such women may want to consider a hysterectomy or some other option.

The two new studies – which were identical – followed a total of 790 women with a menstrual blood loss of more than 80 milliliters (about 2.7 ounces) per month.

At the six-month mark, among women getting placebo treatment, 8.7% in one study and 10% in the other saw their monthly blood loss reduced by at least 50%.

When the women were given elagolix alone, the success rates were 84.1% in one study and 77% in the other.

The treatment suppresses ovarian sex hormones, increasing the odds of osteoporosis. So in some women, doctors also gave hormone therapy to compensate.

With that hormonal “add-back therapy,” monthly flow was still reduced by at least 50% in 68.5% of women in one study and in 76.5% in the other.

Add-back therapy alleviated decreases in bone mineral density caused by elagolix but it also increased the number of hot flushes in both trials, and in one trial, it increased the likelihood of spotting between periods, the researchers found.

Most side effects of the drug “were considered by the investigators to be mild or moderate in severity,” they reported.

The studies, known as Elaris UF-1 and Elaris UF-2, were financed by AbbVie, which sells the drug under the brand name Orilissa.

The 300-milligram twice-daily elagolix treatment would cost more than $47,000 per year, according to prices on goodrx.com. In contrast, monthly leuprolide injections, which are an established treatment, costs roughly $7,000 per year.

Compared with placebo recipients, elagolix recipients with add-back therapy also had higher levels of the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin in their blood and were more likely to have their periods cease altogether.

They also tended to score higher on quality of life questionnaires.

Schlaff, who chairs the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson, predicted that if the drug is approved for fibroid bleeding, it will change the way women are treated.

“A lot of women want to use oral medication” instead of periodic injections, he said. “Women are going to say, ‘I don’t want to commit to a 1- or 3-month dose.’ Or they may want to start with one and move to another.”

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Endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women in their reproductive years. The condition, described as debilitating, painful, and emotionally-draining, has taken a toll on the lives of many women across the globe. But the condition isn’t getting the needed adequate attention, hinting the need for more research on ways to battle it.

In a recent study pioneered by BBC, they found that more than 13,500 women living with endometriosis experience debilitating pain, that has affected their careers, mental health, and sex life. The study explored the experiences of women with endometriosis and how they cope with the condition.

In the largest study into the condition, the researchers found that around half of the participants said they experienced suicidal thoughts. The BBC study also reports that women with the condition describe the pain as like hot knives stabbing through the body, with sensations of twisting and stretching.

Some women with the condition experience painful periods, so severe that it has affected their lives, education, career, and relationships. The researchers acquired data by letting women fill up a questionnaire on how the condition has impacted them. With the help of Endometriosis UK, they collected and collated the responses.

Endometriosis negatively impacts women’s lives

Most of the respondents said that endometriosis had impacted on their education, they rely on prescription painkillers each month, including potentially-addictive opioids, and about half of the women verbalized that they had experienced suicidal thoughts.

The alarming results of the study has warranted the government to act. Following the publication of the study, the MPs plan to conduct an inquiry to help the patients with the condition and determine how it affects the lives of women in the United Kingdom.

The Endometriosis UK emphasizes that endometriosis can negatively impact the lives of women, both physically and mentally. Further research is needed to lessen the diagnosis time, and allow women to have better access to proper pain management.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a reproductive condition wherein the tissue that normally lines the uterus or womb, grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis is estimated to affect an estimated one in 10 women during their reproductive age.

In the United States, an estimated 11 percent of American women between the age of 15 and 44 are living with endometriosis. Across the globe, endometriosis affects approximately 176 million women in the world. Dubbed as an invisible illness, the condition’s primary symptoms are pain and infertility.

The other symptoms of the condition include pain during sexual intercourse, painful and debilitating menstrual cramps, pain in the lower abdomen, heavy menstrual periods, bleeding in between periods, and painful bowel movements or urination during menstrual periods. Some women may experience fatigue and weakness.

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