Abstract

As oral isotretinoin is one of the wildly utilized medications in dermatology clinics, every dermatologist must be versed in all its aspects from the mechanism of action down to side effects. In this study, there was a focus on the side effects aspect, the impact on menstrual cycle particularly. Is there any impact? what is the effect? And what factors can participate in this effect? This was a prospective study on 299 female patients received oral isotretinoin for the treatment of acne with regular menstrual cycle at the start. 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. The most common change that occurred was amenorrhea, followed by oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia. The duration of treatment was a significant predictor of menstrual irregularities, indicating a higher likelihood of menstrual changes with increased treatment duration. The total accumulative dose was also significantly associated with menstrual irregularities. Additionally, a family history of PCOS significantly increased the odds of menstrual irregularities.
In conclusion, despite the significant impact of oral isotretinoin on menstrual cycle, it is still not popularly mentioned during treatment counseling sessions, and not well understood.
Eventually, highlighting this topic will raise the curiosity about it, and open the doors for further researching work.