The effect of the cyclodynon drug on sexual function in patients with infertility and menstrual disorders

Objective: To compare the effect of the drug made from the extract of Vitex agnus-castus and cyclic vitamin therapy on the sexual function of patients with menstrual disorders and infertility.

Materials and methods: This was an open, exploratory, comparative randomized clinical study. It included 104 women aged 23 to 36 years with anovulatory infertility and menstrual disorders. The patients were divided into two groups: the women of group 1 (n=52) received a drug made from a standardized extract of Vitex agnus-castus (Cyclodynon drug in the form of film-coated tablets) at a dose of one tablet once a day for four months; the patients of group II (n=52) received cyclic vitamin therapy (Cyclovita dietary supplement) at a dose of one tablet once a day in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle and two tablets once a day in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle for four months. In addition to medical treatment, individual psychotherapy was prescribed in both groups. Before the treatment and four months after the start of the treatment, the patients were interviewed using the questionnaires of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results: Sexual dysfunction was detected before the treatment in 30/52 (58%) patients in group I and in 32/52 (62%) patients in group II (p=0.089). The number of patients with subclinical and clinical anxiety before the treatment was 12/52 (23%) and 7/52 (13%) women in groups I and II (p=0.255); the number of patients with depression was 6/52 (12%) and 2/52 (4%), respectively (p=0.380). After the treatment, the average FSFI value increased in both groups; however, the difference of average values (Δ) in group I proved to be greater than in group II, namely 0.85 (0.53;1.16) and 0.53 (0.3;0.76), respectively. The assessment of anxiety values in group I showed a statistically significant improvement from 5.23 (3.13) to 4.48 (2.14) points according to the HADS scale, Δ (95% CI) was -0.75 (-1.3; -0.2).

Conclusion: Taking Vitex agnus-castus by patients with menstrual disorders and infertility leads to an improvement in their sexual function. Additional extensive research in this area is needed.