To evaluate the effect of Pueraria mirifica on vaginal symptoms, vaginal health index, vaginal pH, and vaginal cytology in healthy postmenopausal women.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Healthy postmenopausal women, age 45 to 60 years old, were enrolled voluntarily and randomly received 20, 30, or 50 mg of Pueraria mirifica in capsules or placebo in identical capsules once daily for 24 weeks.
After 24 weeks of treatment, 71 women were evaluated. Fifty-one of 71 randomly received one of the three doses of Pueraria mirifica, and the remaining 20 received placebo. The mean vaginal dryness symptom in the Pueraria mirifica group decreased after 12 weeks of treatment. Pueraria mirifica increased vaginal maturation index (parabasal:intermediate:superficial cells) from 46:43:11 to 11:65:24 after 24 weeks of treatment. There was no significant difference of adverse effects between the Pueraria mirifica and placebo groups in this study.
Pueraria mirifica was proven to exhibit estrogenicity on vaginal tissue, to alleviate vaginal dryness symptoms and dyspareunia, to improve signs of vaginal atrophy, and to restore the atrophic vaginal epithelium in healthy postmenopausal women.
Pueraria miritica may be helpful and safe in the management of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy.
From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Received November 23, 2006; revised and accepted January 17, 2007.
Funding/support: This work was supported by a grant from the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.
Financial disclosure: None reported.
Address correspondence to: Jittima Manonai, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. E-mail: rajmo@mahidol.ac.th.
