Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Seyedeh Fatemeh Dalil Heirati
- . Giti Ozgoli 1
- . Roya KabodMehri 2
- . Faraz Mojab 3
- . Shamim Sahranavard 4
- . Malihe Nasiri 5
1 Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Alzahra Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
3 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Department of Basic Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sexual dysfunction in women is a common disorder. Yet, there is no consensus
on its treatment. Few studies have shown that Vitex agnus‑castus improves sexual dysfunction in
postmenopausal women; the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of V. agnus‑castus
on the female sexual function in the reproductive age.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a double‑blinded randomized control clinical trial on the
women of reproductive age referred to the gynecology clinic of Al‑Zahra Medical Center in Rasht, Iran,
from February 2018 to December 2019. The intervention group received Agnugol tablet containing
3.2–4.8 mg dried extract V. agnus‑castus (51 participants) and the control group received a placebo
tablet (51 participants). All participants received one tablet daily for 16 weeks. The participants were
asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire at the beginning of the study and
after 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Data were analyzed in SPSS statistics (version 21) using Chi‑square
test, t‑test, Mann–Whitney U‑test, analysis of variance, and mixed model to examine the differences
between the groups.
RESULTS: The results showed that the difference between the two groups was not significant in
each domain, but there was a significant difference in the overall sexual function mean score so
that the intervention group had a higher score than the placebo group after 16 weeks (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: In the present study, it was observed that the consumption of V. agnus‑castus during
16 weeks was more effective than the placebo in improving sexual dysfunction. Further studies with
larger sample sizes are needed to be able to decide on the prescription of this drug in the clinics.
Keywords
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