Effect of vitamin D vaginal suppository on sexual functioning among postmenopausal women: a three-arm randomized controlled clinical trial

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Sarebani, Z, Chegini, V, Chen, H, Aali, E, Mirzadeh, M, Abbaspour, M, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524 and Alimoradi, Z, 2023. Effect of vitamin D vaginal suppository on sexual functioning among postmenopausal women: a three-arm randomized controlled clinical trial. Obstetrics and Gynecology Science, 66 (3), pp. 208-220. ISSN 2287-8572

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.22038

Abstract

Objective: Vaginal atrophy, the second most common complication of menopause, can lead to sexual dysfunction. This study evaluated the effect of a vitamin D vaginal suppository on sexual functioning in postmenopausal women.

Methods:This three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted between August 2019 and August 2020. The sample comprised 105 postmenopausal women who were referred to comprehensive health service centers to receive postmenopausal care. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) being menopausal for at least 1 year, (ii) being married, (iii) being sexually active, and (iv) having sexual desire. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups for 8 weeks of treatment: intervention (vaginal suppository containing 1,000 units of vitamin D3), placebo (vaginal suppository placebo), or control (no treatment). The main outcome measure was sexual functioning, which was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Scale (FSFI) 4 times during the study (i.e., 1 month before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, and 2 months after the intervention).

Results: Immediately and 1 month after the trial, the intervention group had the highest FSFI score, followed by the placebo group, both of which were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). At the 2-month follow-up, the intervention and placebo groups had similar FSFI scores (P=0.08), both of which were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.001 and P=0.03, respectively).

Conclusion: Vitamin D vaginal suppositories were more effective at improving sexual functioning among postmenopausal women in the short-term and appeared to prevent aging-related sexual functioning decline in the long term.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Obstetrics and Gynecology Science
Creators:	Sarebani, Z., Chegini, V., Chen, H., Aali, E., Mirzadeh, M., Abbaspour, M., Griffiths, M.D. and Alimoradi, Z.
Publisher:	Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Date:	May 2023
Volume:	66
Number:	3
ISSN:	2287-8572
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.5468/ogs.22038 DOI 1750081 Other
Rights:	© 2023 Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Articles published in Obstet Gynecol Sci are open-access, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	14 Apr 2023 08:13
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2023 12:38
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/48739