The Effect of Herbal Medicines on Treatment of Hot Flashes in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Vasomotor symptoms during menopause occur on average in 75% of women. Hot flashes are the most common of these symptoms. Hormonal drugs are the most effective method of treatment. Due to the known risks of hormone therapy, many researchers have investigated the effect of herbal medicines to improve vasomotor symptoms, especially hot flashes. This study was performed with aim to investigate the clinical trial studies conducted on the effectiveness of various herbal medicines on hot flashes. Methods: In this study, to find the related articles, databases of Google scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Web of science, Science direct and national databases such as (MagIran), (SID), (IranDoc) and (IranMedex) were searched from the beginning of January 2005 to January 2020. Data were combined using STATA software (version 12.2) and using meta-analysis method, random effects model. Results: In the present study, 11 clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis according to the inclusion criteria.In the medicinal plants group, mean reduction in the number of hot flushes was 2.41 times (95% CI: -1.56 to -3.27%) less than the control group, which was statistically significant (p<0.05).In addition, in the medicinal plants group, the intensity of hot flashes was 20.28 degrees (95% CI: -71.70 to -22.87) compared to the control group, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Medicinal plants containing phytoestrogens have good effects on reducing the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women and can be a suitable treatment for hot flashes in menopausal women.

Keywords

• herbal medicines
• hot flashes
• menopause
• meta-analysis