Insights & Discussion
The present study indicated that acupuncture had an advantage over hormone replacement therapy in reducing serum FSH level and increasing serum E2 level in women with premature ovarian insufficiency.
Eight eligible RCTs with a total of 496 POI patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that there was a significant reduction in the basal serum FSH level and a remarkable elevation in the basal E2 level in the acupuncture group when compared with the control. Subgroup analysis showed that compared with HRT, a significant decrease in the FSH level was observed in both acupuncture alone and acupuncture plus HRT, while a remarkable elevation of E2 was only found in acupuncture plus HRT. There was no significant difference in the LH level between acupuncture and HRT, only one trial reported AMH, and no significant difference was found between acupuncture and HRT.
Discover Related Insights
Fermented soy milk significantly improves lipid profiles and fertility in a model of premenopausal mice, due to increased bioavailability and action of beneficial compounds.
2023 Food Research International Effect of fermented soy beverage in aged female mice model Ruiz de la Bastida A, Langa S, Peirotén , Fernández-Gonzalez R, Sánchez-Jiménez A, Maroto M, et al.
Animal Study Menopause Ovarian Function Soy Milk
In this study, non-fermented soy beverage (SB) and soy beverage fermented with Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum INIA P815 (FSB) were tested on both cyclic and acyclic C57BL/6J aged female mice which mimic premenopause and menopause conditions respectively. Over a period of 36 days, the beverages were given to the mice and the variables measured included body weight, lipid and inflammatory profile and fertility. In addition, hepatic gene expressions were examined and the faecal microbiota composition was assessed to further understand the effects of the two beverages.
In the results, FSB displayed a higher concentration of the aglycones daidzein and genistein as well as increased antioxidant activity due to the fermentation process. The cyclic mice that were given FSB experienced a significant rise in the number of oocytes and zygotes retrieved. It was also noticed that the triglycerides were lower in the groups that were given FSB compared to the SB groups. However, it was found that neither of the treatments significantly influenced the inflammatory profile or caused a major shift in intestinal microbiota or hepatic gene expressions in either of the groups. Still, it was observed that FSB had more health benefits than SB with regards to the lipid profile and fertility in the cyclic mice, likely due to the increased bioavailability and bioactivity of compounds due to fermentation.
Pomegranate can significantly enhance women's health during and after menopause by reducing hot flashes severity and other menopause symptoms.
2023 Phytotherapy Research Pomegranate effects on the health aspects of women during peri‐ and postmenopause: A systematic review and meta‐analysis Moeini R, Shirafkan H, Gorji N
Systematic Review Hot Flushes Menopause Pomegranate
The study aimed at understanding the impacts of pomegranate on women's health through and following menopause. To gather data, a rigorous search was conducted on various academic platforms, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and Google Scholar, up to the end of 2022. All forms of clinical research studies, from randomized clinical trials to case series, were considered for review. The material was evaluated using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool specifically for quality assessment of randomized clinical trials. To quantify the effects of the pomegranate intervention, standardized mean differences were calculated using a random effect model.
It was found that pomegranate significantly reduces the severity of hot flashes in menopausal women, improves their high-density lipoprotein levels, and reduces the Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). However, no significant improvement was noticed in the low-density lipoprotein, body mass index, and body weight. Despite these findings, the study recognized that the results' conclusiveness was hampered due to small sample sizes and the lack of study design elements such as blinding and randomization.
The Chinese medicine formulas Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan have the potential to treat premature ovarian failure through different pharmacological pathways.
2022 Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening A Network Pharmacology Study on the Similarities and Differences in the Mechanisms of Zuo Gui Wan/You Gui Wan for the Treatment of Premature Ovarian Failure Shanshan Mei, Chaoqin Yu, Jie Ding, Wen Cheng
Network Pharmacology Ovarian Insufficiency Premature ovarian failure (POF) You Gui Wan
This study used a public database to identify the active ingredients and potential targets of the Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan compounds. These were analyzed in relation to premature ovarian failure (POF) related genes obtained from OMIM and GeneCards. A protein-protein interaction network was established using STRING, and a drug-active ingredient-target gene network was constructed. The study thus identified similarities and differences in potential targets, active ingredients, and enriched pathways between the two compounds.
Analyzing the drug-target-pathway network revealed that both compounds contain multiple common active ingredients, as well as unique components, and share several targets in the treatment of POF, showing similar core mechanisms of action. However, each compound also targets some unique pathways, which indicates their differential approaches to POF treatment.
Si Wu Tang has improved menstrual symptoms by increasing estradiol content and antioxidative effects as a result of its herbs' synergistic relationships.
2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology Elucidation of the Effects of Si-Wu Tang on Menstrual Disorder Patterns through Activation of Aromatase and Antioxidation Guan-Cheng Huang, Yi-Zhe Tsai, Chia-Jung Lee, Heng-Yu Chang, Ching-Chiung Wang
Experimental Study Oestradiol Shao Yao Shu Di Huang
In the methodology of the study, a testosterone-treated MCF-7 cell model was employed to determine the effects of each herb in the SWT formula. Key metrics that were considered included the regulation of estradiol, antioxidative effects, and the total polyphenol and polysaccharide contents as quality markers. The study also explored the potential ability of certain elements within the formula to act as an aromatase promoter, notably catalpol and other elements.
In terms of results, certain herbs in SWT such as catalpol showed an ability to significantly increase estradiol content and boost upregulation in cell culture, indicating their role as potential aromatase promoters within the formula. Antioxidant activity was also strong in other compounds like pentagalloylglucose, gallic acid, and ferulic acid. These antioxidative effects were attributed to the presence of polyphenols in the herbs. Furthermore, the herb with the strongest antioxidant effects could possibly help ameliorate menstrual disorder patterns due to its ability to prevent ROS damage to the ovaries.
Acupuncture alone or combined with standard care was associated with significant improvements in perimenopausal depression and reductions of other menopausal symptoms.
2021 Frontiers in Psychiatry Acupuncture as an Independent or Adjuvant Management to Standard Care for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Zhao FY, Fu QQ, Kennedy GA, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Zheng Z
Systematic Review HRT Perimenopausal Depression
Our review found that acupuncture was better than standard care alone in reducing HAMD score by 1.4–3.6, which is of clinical significance—acupuncture is better than or at least equivalent to antidepressant in improving perimenopausal women's depression. In addition to the satisfactory short-term effects, the intermediate- and long-term benefits of acupuncture against PMD outlast those of antidepressants. Long-term clinical efficacy is crucial in the management of depressive symptoms, as depression is characterized by a high recurrence rate. Frequent relapse of depression and withdrawal symptoms of antidepressants are also two major reasons for numerous patients reject psychotropic agents and seek help from CAM therapy.
It is interesting to note that acupuncture also improved perimenopausal symptoms (decreased KI scores), better than either antidepressant alone or antidepressant combined with HRT, reflecting different underlying mechanisms of the two interventions (acupuncture vs. pharmacotherapy).
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