Herbal medicines and sexual satisfaction of women: A systematic review andmeta-analysis

Introduction: Sexual dysfunction is one of the most common frequent problems of women and affects theirstandards of living. Concerns about the side effects of chemical drugs and the tendency to use complementarymedicine have led to the introduction of herbal medicines as an alternative option to improve this disorder.Therefore, this study planned to systematically investigate the outcome of herbal medicine on sexual functionand sexual satisfaction of reproductive females.Method: All related articles that were published in English or Persian from ۲۰۰۰ to February ۲۸, ۲۰۲۲, werereviewed. Search the international databases Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus,Cochrane Library, and the Persian database SID. Then, the articles were reviewed by two independentresearchers. Study data were combined using meta-analysis and the random effect model.Results: The findings of ۱۲ studies that entered the meta-analysis showed that in the group of herbal medicines,the overall score of female sexual function significantly improved, ۰.۹۵ (%۹۵CI: ۰.۸۰۳-۱.۰۹۷) (P=۰.۰۰۱). Also,the sex satisfaction score was higher in the group of medicinal plants, ۰.۸۴ (%۹۵CI: ۰.۴۷۶-۱.۲۱) and thisdifference was significant (P=۰.۰۰۱).Conclusion: Herbal medicines have positive effects on sexual function and sexual satisfaction of reproductivewomen and can be an effective and safe treatment for women with sexual dysfunction. However, for definitiveconclusions, more studies with a higher sample size in women of reproductive age are needed .

Keywords:

Herbal medicine , Sexual dysfunction , Sexual satisfaction , Systematic review