OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of fennel on body composition. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Fifty-four out of 60 patients were able to successfully complete the original study. Seven out of 54 patients were excluded because they were not overweight and obese. Thus, 47 women were included in this secondary analysis. Of these 47 women, 22 were in the fennel group and 25 were in placebo group. Body weight, body mass index (BMI) as well as fat distribution was measured at the baseline and after a three-month follow-up. RESULTS: Comparison of fennel and placebo groups did not reveal any significant effect in terms of body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and fat distribution. Also, the results of paired t-test did not variation of these parameters across groups before and after 12-week treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal women in fennel group experienced a slight increase in body weight and fat distribution, which was not significant. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to validate the results of this study.
Body Composition* ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Female ; Foeniculum* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Humans ; Overweight ; Postmenopause ; Sample Size

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to explore perceptions and experiences of general practitioners and midwives during sexual dialogue with menopausal women. METHODS: In a descriptive exploratory qualitative study, 13 midwives and 12 general practitioners were selected using a semi-structured interview and purposive sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative content analysis adopted by Graneheim and Lundman. RESULTS: Through data analysis “sexual disharmony” emerged as a central theme, which included three categories of reasons, strategies, and ramifications of sexual disharmony. Reasons for sexual disharmony included subcategories of aging and health related-problems, marital problems, and stereotypical perceptions regarding menopause and sexuality and daily concerns. Strategies used by couples to address sexual disharmony consisted of changing roles and values, pretending to reach orgasm, suppressing sexual desire, meeting sexual needs of husbands in accordance with religious rules, seeking help of peers, seeking friends or traditional medicine and health providers, seeking a help charmer, engaging in sex with other women to fulfill sexual needs, pretending to be moody to alleviate sexual tension. Sexual disharmony may lead to spending money on a prostitute instead of engaging in sex out of wedlock or a surge in social pathologies such as sexually transmitted disease. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers must be aware of various sexual behavior of menopausal women and their husbands when they detect sexual disharmony in their patients. Results of this study can facilitate development of restricted guidelines for sexual discussion with menopausal women.
Aging ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Friends ; General Practitioners ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Medicine, Traditional ; Menopause ; Methods ; Midwifery ; Orgasm ; Pathology ; Sex Workers ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; Sexuality ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic

Title and Abstract correction. The title and abstract should be corrected as ‘Sexual Disharmony in Menopausal Women and Their Husband: A Qualitative Study of Reasons and Strategies’.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to assess the effect of fennel on bone density. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, which studied sixty eligible postmenopausal women, who were randomly assigned to fennel and placebo groups. Then, the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was utilized to measure bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the spine, femoral neck, intertrochanter, and trochanter at the baseline and after three-month follow-up. RESULTS: The mean BMD and BMC at lumbar spine (P = 0.14, P = 0.504), total hip femoral (P = 0.427, P = 0.471), trochanter (P = 0.075, P = 0.07), intertrochanter, (P = 0.864, P = 0.932) and femoral neck (P = 0.439, P = 0.641) was not significantly different between the fennel and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study did not approve the effect of fennel on bone density in post-menopausal women. However, to gain deeper insights, further studies with longer durations and larger sample sizes are recommended.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Bone Density* ; Female ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Foeniculum* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Humans ; Postmenopause ; Sample Size ; Spine

Menopause is associated with the onset of climacteric symptoms due to low estradiol levels, which may cause insufficient maturation of the vaginal mucosa. Vitamin D may regulate the growth and differentiation of cells that are adversely affected due to low estradiol levels, thereby restoring vaginal health. The objective of this systematic review, the first on this subject, was to investigate the effect of vitamin D on the vaginal health of menopausal women. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases and reference lists of hand-searched articles were searched for published studies from February 2000 to November 2018. The selection criteria were as follows: randomized or quasi-randomized trials that compared the effects of vitamin D or related compounds, alone or with calcium, on vaginal health (growth and differentiation of epithelial cells, dryness, acidity [pH]) outcomes in menopausal women. The methodological quality of these studies was examined using the Cochrane tool checklist by two independent investigators, following which the data were extracted. Of six examined studies, two showed that vitamin D administration improved the growth and differentiation of vaginal epithelial cells, improved vaginal pH, and decreased vaginal dryness in menopausal women. Although the level of evidence for the effects of vitamin D on vaginal health is low in our study, we concluded that vitamin D may improve the vaginal health of women, especially during menopause.
Calcium ; Checklist ; Climacteric ; Epithelial Cells ; Estradiol ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Menopause ; Mucous Membrane ; Patient Selection ; Research Personnel ; Vitamin D ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is the systematic and critical investigation of the effectiveness of fennel on the climacteric symptoms among menopausal females. METHODS: A search of the trials studying the effect of fennel on menopausal females was conducted in 2017 using the MEDLINE and Scopus databases and the Cochrane Library with the following keywords: fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, and menopause. RESULTS: Fennel combined with officinalis is more effective in the attenuating of sleep disorders compared to Citalopram. The comparison of these two groups regarding the mean bone mineral density and bone mineral content (P = 0.14, P = 0.504); the total hip femoral (P = 0.42, P = 0.66); the trochanter (P = 0.075, P = 0.07); the intertrochanter (P = 0.84, P = 0.93); and the femoral neck (P = 0.43, P = 0.64) did not show any significant statistical differences; however, a statistically significant difference regarding the vasomotor symptoms (P < 0.01) was found. The other significant differences are related to the values of the total cholesterol (P = 0.103); low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C (P = 0.104); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C (P = 0.266); triglyceride (P = 0.679); body weight (P = 0.212); body mass index (P = 0.041); waist and hip circumferences (P = 0.365); and fat distribution (P = 0.337) between the two groups. The standardized mean difference (SMD) values of sexual activity (SMD = 0.638; P < 0.001), and maturation value (SMD = 0.601; P = 0.003) are highly significant among the fennel-treated women compared with the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the findings of the present study, fennel is important in the relieving of vasomotor symptoms, vaginal itching, dryness, dyspareunia, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, and sleep distribution.
Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Bone Density ; Cholesterol ; Citalopram ; Climacteric ; Dyspareunia ; Female ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Foeniculum ; Hip ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Menopause ; Orgasm ; Pruritus ; Sexual Behavior ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is the exploration of the potential evidence of the effectiveness of aromatherapy products on the sexual function of menopausal women. METHODS: From inception to December 2017, the search process was performed using the MEDLINE and Scopus databases and the Cochrane Library regarding the trials on the effectiveness of herbal-medicine aromatherapy on the sexual function of menopausal women. RESULTS: Three of the trials comprise suitable data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, it is possible to improve the standardized mean difference (SMD) of the sexual desire up to 0.56 in the aromatherapy group compared with the control group (SMD = 0.56; P < 0.001; heterogeneity; I² = 42%; P = 0.141). According to one of the trials, the serum-estrogen level of two different doses did not change in the neroli oil inhalation group compared with the almond-oil group. CONCLUSIONS: Both aromatherapy with neroli oil or lavender (monopreparation) and combined-oil aromatherapy with lavender, fennel, geranium, and rose significantly improved human sexual function; however, a significant change of the serum-estrogen level was not detected. The findings of the present review should be presented cautiously because of the corresponding limitations such as the lack of a standardized tool, the lack of intention-to-treat reporting, the low study amount, and the short-term follow-up.
Aromatherapy ; Female ; Foeniculum ; Follow-Up Studies ; Geranium ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Lavandula ; Menopause ; Population Characteristics ; Sexuality

OBJECTIVES: To critically assess the effect of aromatherapy on the psychological symptoms as noted in the postmenopausal and elderly women. METHODS: Three following databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to January 2018. The search keywords included ‘menopause’ AND (aromatherapy), without language restrictions. RESULTS: In this study, 4 trials were included which fit into our systematic review. The findings demonstrated that the aromatherapy massage have significantly improved psychological symptoms in menopausal and elderly women as compared to the control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −1.24; 95% confidence interval, −0.188 to −0.606; P < 0.001 random effect model; 3 trials, moderate to high heterogeneity, I2 = 0.76; P = 0.028). According to 1 of the trials, the aromatherapy oil massage was no more effective than the untreated group regarding their experience of symptoms such as nervousness. CONCLUSIONS: The aromatherapy may be beneficial in attenuating the psychological symptoms that these women may experience, such as anxiety and depression, but it is not considered as an effective treatment to manage nervousness symptom among menopausal women. This finding should be observed in light of study limitations.
Aged ; Anxiety ; Aromatherapy ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Massage ; Menopause ; Population Characteristics

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to determine the barriers influencing the sexual conversation. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 200 midwives were selected through convenience sampling method from private and public clinics in Mashhad, North East of Iran. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect the study data. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 39.58 ± 8.12 years with 13.49 ± 7.59 years of work experience. A number of cultural conditions act as an inhibitory force for the midwives to address sexual issues with menopausal women. Menopausal women visit a doctor at the acute stage when emotional and physical problems make sexual discussion difficult for the midwives (86.5%). Other related causes for not having proper sexual conversation were insufficient knowledge (51.4%), inadequate education provided via public media through health providers (83.5%), midwives or their patient's shame (51.5%), and attempt to get help from traditional healers, friends, relatives and supplicants instead of midwifery staff (78.5%). Also, we found that sexual workshops, communication workshops, and work experiences had a significant influence in changing the views of midwives. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural barriers prevent the patients and providers from communicating effectively with each other, thus highlighting the need for sexual and communication workshops for the health care providers.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Female ; Friends ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Iran ; Menopause ; Methods ; Midwifery ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexuality ; Shame

OBJECTIVES: Aim of present study was designed to investigate the soporific effect of fennel among menopausal women. METHODS: The present double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial examined the fennel effect on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Total score and relevant 7 components, including sleep duration, sleep latency, use of sleeping medication, subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction and habitual sleep efficiency among 50 menopausal women compared to control group within a 12-week follow-up. RESULTS: The patients in both groups reported no certain side effects and all subjects completed the study. The mean actual sleep duration was 5 hours and 66 minutes. Intergroup comparison revealed no statistically significant differences in the mean total PSQI score (P = 0.439), subjective sleep quality (P = 0.826), habitual sleep efficiency (P = 0.127), sleep disturbances (P = 0.130), use of sleeping medication (P = 0.52) and daytime dysfunction (P = 0.439). A tendency toward significant between 2 groups was seen concerning the sleep duration (P = 0.059). Intergroup comparison showed significantly borderline levels (P = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of 12 weeks with fennel caused a slight effect that did not reach to significant. These findings should be considered cautiously because of small sample size, short-term follow-up and subjective measure of sleep quality.
Female ; Foeniculum ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Menopause ; Sample Size ; Sleep Wake Disorders