Chinese Herbal Medicine for premature ovarian failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionPremature ovarian failure (POF), loss of normal ovarian function before the age of 40 commonly results in infertility. This systematic review/meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of Chinese herbal treatments on POF.MethodsSystematic searches of six electronic databases were conducted for articles published through June 2013. All randomized controlled trials which compared Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) as solitary treatment vs. hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for POF were included. Measurement of treatment effect was done through pooled odds ratio (OR) of effective cases in the two groups, and weighted mean difference (WMD) of hormonal levels (E2, FSH, LH) after treatment.ResultsThis meta-analysis includes 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 888 patients in comparing CHM with HRT for the treatment of POF. The pooled data showed an improvement in symptoms in the CHM group compared to that of the HRT group (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.49-4.18, P < 0.001). FSH levels were significantly lower in patients treated with CHM compared to that of patients treated with HRT (≥6 M: WMD = −8.34, 95% CI: −11.96, P < 0.001, −4.71; <6 M: WMD = −5.23, 95% CI: −8.68, −1.78, P = 0.003). There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) observed in E2 and LH levels when CHM and HRT were compared.ConclusionsCHM may relieve symptoms of POF partly through decreasing serum FSH levels, this may provide guidance for future studies.