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I’ve heard about the Chilean doctor, Jorge Lolas, who claims he has cured people of PMDD. Is there any scientific basis to support Dr. Lolas’ treatment approach?
I’ve heard about the Chilean doctor, Jorge Lolas, who claims he has cured people of PMDD. Is there any scientific basis to support Dr. Lolas’ treatment approach?

Keywords: Dr Lola. Inflammation. Cervix.

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Written by IAPMD
Updated over a week ago

There is an untested and unproven theory that PMS and PMDD are due to inflammatory secretions (prostaglandins and inflammatory molecules) of the cervix. Dr. Lolas believes this theory. This is his opinion (or hypothesis), but there is no scientific evidence to determine whether this hypothesis is true.

He provides untested treatments in which he injects the cervix with various agents in an attempt to reverse the processes he believes are causing PMDD. Patients often travel to Chile for months to receive extended treatment regimens, which could be expected to cause financial (cost of treatment) or social (cost of leaving family and friends) harm for some individuals.

At this time, his treatments have not been evaluated for safety.

In addition, there is no evidence that PMDD is caused by cervical inflammation, and there is no scientific evidence that his cervical treatments are effective for PMDD.

Given that this approach has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness, that traveling internationally to receive an untested treatment could pose financial and social harms, and given that the treatment is not a rational approach to addressing the existing known causes of PMDD, IAPMD does not recommend Dr. Lolas’ treatment or that of any other doctors who offer similar treatments.

Inflammation

Of note, there have been a few studies showing increased overall inflammation in females self-diagnosed with PMS/PMDD, but it is not clear yet whether that will hold up in a sample of carefully-diagnosed patients, or whether inflammation is a cause or an effect of PMDD symptoms (since experiences of stress increase levels of inflammation in the body).

Therefore, even if inflammation in the body plays a role in PMDD, there is no evidence that this inflammation comes from the cervix and not enough rationale for this idea to warrant the risks that may be involved in pursuing this treatment.

For details of evidence-based treatment options for PMDD:

Updated: 28th September 2020

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