Abstract

Objective Menopause symptoms have significant negative effects on the quality of life of women and vindicate the need for evaluating various therapeutic options. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Vitex Agnus-Castus (VAC) extract on hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disorders, and some other symptoms in postmenopausal women. Methods This study was a double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial on 66 postmenopausal women selected via convenience sampling from among women referred to the Namazi Clinic in Shiraz, Iran. Participants were randomly divided into two groups of VAC extract (n=33) and placebo (n=33). Menopause symptoms were evaluated using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and 12 weeks after the intervention. Results After the intervention, the total MRS score was significantly lower for women taking VAC compared to women taking placebo (9.9±5.2 verses 20.1±9.5, p<0.001). Significant improvements were found in all MRS domains except for physical and mental exhaustion, urinary incontinence and vaginal dryness. Sleep was also significantly improved for women taking VAC (6.3±1.8) compared to placebo (10.6±4.1) (p<0.001). Other significant improvements were found in physical, psychological and urogenital outcomes. Conclusion Due to low cost and ease of use, VAC extract can be used as a phytoestrogen to reduce the severity of physical and psychological symptoms and the need for chemical drugs. © NHAA 2022.