A reasonable explanation for the therapeutic effects of ibuprofen or naproxen in primary dysmenorrhea is that these drugs
PGE, and PGF2a both increase in primary dysmenorrhea, and the therapeutic effects of NSAIDs appear to be due to inhibition of the synthesis of these prostaglandins. Both ibuprofen and naproxen are nonselective COX inhibitors that can inhibit the synthesis of prostacyclin (PGI2 ). NSAIDs do not inhibit phospholipase A2 , and they do not decrease leukotrienes.
|PGE, and PGF2a
selectively inhibit COX 2
|LTB,
inhibit PLA2
General Pharmacology