Mechanistic Characterization of Uterine Pain
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04145518. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
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Official title
Mechanistic Characterization of Uterine Pain (MCUP) to Improve Diagnosis and Treatment for Dysmenorrhea
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
There are limited treatment options for management of dysmenorrhea, and the physiological processes they affect are not completely understood. For example, NSAIDs are effective in reducing menstrual pain in some women by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, but whether those effects are mediated by affecting contractility, perfusion, or hypoxemia is unknown. Understanding how these drugs relieve menstrual pain (and why they fail) would be of substantial clinical significance. Given the foregoing, Two Specific Aims are proposed: Aim #1: Characterize menstrual pain phenotypes associated with impairments in myometrial activity, perfusion, and/or oxygenation. Continuous MRI scans of the uterus will be performed with simultaneous measurement of self-reported pain in healthy women and those experiencing menstrual pain. The investigators will include cohorts of women with imaging diagnosed leiomyoma and surgically-confirmed endometriosis to evaluate the contribution of structurally identifiable factors. Based on preliminary data, the investigators anticipate finding four phenotypes with menstrual pain related to: 1) myometrial activity, 2) inadequate perfusion and/or oxygenation, 3) a combination of phenotypes 1 \& 2, and 4) a non-uterine source. Aim #2: Evaluate the effects of naproxen on myometrial activity, perfusion, and/or oxygenation with respect to pain relief. In women with primary dysmenorrhea, the investigators will acquire pelvic MRI scans and evaluate self-reported menstrual cramping pain before and after administration of randomized naproxen or placebo. Naproxen could principally affect one or more potential sources of uterine pain such as myometrial activity, perfusion, and/or oxygenation. The investigators will corroborate preliminary data findings, which suggest menstrual phenotypes with myometrial activity will be more likely to respond. Conversely, Aim 2 will also elucidate the mechanisms responsible for inadequate pain relief from naproxen. Bioavailability of naproxen levels and other molecules associated with NSAID-resistance will be evaluated from the serum of participants after taking naproxen using HPLC-MS.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT04145518
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Enrollment
- 183 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 45 Years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepts healthy volunteers
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Oct 24, 2019
- Primary completion
- Jul 22, 2025
- Completion
- Jul 22, 2025
- Last update posted
- Dec 11, 2025
2019 – 2025
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthShore University HealthSystem | Evanston | Illinois | 60201 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04145518, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Dec 11, 2025 · Synced Sep 7, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT04145518 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.