title: Herbal Medicines in Idiopathic Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: A Systematic Review.
abstract: Idiopathic heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB; IHMB) is a common gynecological problem with no pelvic pathology or general bleeding disorder. Herbal remedies are commonly used to treat HMB. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of herbal preparations for the treatment of IHMB. MEDLINE, Ovid, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to 23 August 2015. Only randomized controlled trials were considered. Three randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review. Different herbal preparations were used in the included trials. In two studies, Ginger capsules and myrtle fruit syrup significantly reduced the menstrual duration and blood loss compared with placebo based on the pictorial blood loss assessment chart score (p < 0.001, p = 0.01). In another trial, Punica granatum flower capsules were as effective as tranexamic acid capsules in reducing the mean (SD) pictorial blood loss assessment chart score, with no significant difference between the two treatments (p = 0.3). The results show that the methods used in these trials may reduce menstrual bleeding in women with IHMB. Additional well-designed trials are needed to investigate the safety and efficacy of herbs for the treatment of women with IHMB or other forms of HMB.
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Roghayeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Javan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yousefi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed-Mohammad
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nazari
authors.affiliation: Iranian Research on Healthy Aging (IRCHA), Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.
authors.forename: Parastoo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Community Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosavi-Jarrahi
authors.affiliation: Central Library, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Parvaneh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Modiramani
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. naghedih911@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Hamideh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naghedi-Baghdar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D029001:Herbal Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008595:Menorrhagia / Q000188:drug therapy*
keywords: complementary therapies; herbal medicine; idiopathic heavy menstrual bleeding; menorrhagia; phytotherapy