Beneficial Effects of Oral Lactobacillus on Pain Severity in Women Suffering from Endometriosis: A Pilot Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial

• Main Authors: Sepideh Khodaverdi, Robabeh Mohammadbeigi, Mojdeh Khaledi, Leila Mesdaghinia, Fatemeh Sharifzadeh, Somayyeh Nasiripour, Mansoureh Gorginzadeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Royan Institute (ACECR), Tehran 2019-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Fertility and Sterility
• Subjects: chronic pelvic pain; dysmenorrhea; dyspareunia; endometriosis; lactobacillus
• Online Access: http://www.ijfs.ir/article_45544_2fa048256ee979f209f297d673c0ae33.pdf
• ISSN: 2008-076X; 2008-0778

Background This study assessed the effects of a lactobacillus-based medication on pain intensity scores in women with endometriosis. Materials and Methods The present randomized pilot placebo-controlled trial was done on eligible women who were surgically and pathologically diagnosed with endometriosis. Thirty-seven participants who had not received hormonal treatment in the last three months, were enrolled and randomized into LactoFem®and placebo groups. Lactobacillus capsules or placebo were administrated orally once a day for 8 weeks. Patients were assessed for pain severity using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain at baseline and after 8 and 12 weeks post-intervention. Results Mean age of participants and mean body mass index (BMI) for the LactoFem®and control groups were compara- ble. All patients had stage 3 and 4 of the disease based on revised American fertility society (AFS) classification of endome- triosis. Mean initial pain scores for dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain were 6.53 ± 2.88, 4.82 ± 3.76 and 4.19 ± 3.53, respectively in the LactoFem®group and 5.60 ± 2.06, 3.67 ± 2.64 and 2.88 ± 2.80, respectively for the control group; the two groups had comparable scores in this regard. There was more decrease in pain scores for both dysmenorrhea and the overall pain after 8 weeks of treatment in LactoFem®group compared to the control group. The scores for dysmen- orrhea were 6.53 ± 2.88 and 5.60 ± 2.06 in the LactoFem®and control groups, respectively, before intervention but, after 8-week treatment, these values were 3.07 ± 2.49 and 4.47 ± 2.13 (P=0.018), respectively. The changes in overall pain score in the LactoFem® and control group during this period were 7.33 ± 7.00 and 4.11 ± 1.68, respectively (P=0.017). Conclusion This study showed some beneficial effects of lactobacillus administration on endometriosis-related pain (Registration number: IRCT20150819023684N5).