A Comparison Between Sexual Function of Menopausal Women Before and After Using Ginkgo Biloba Capsules

Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) as a phytoestrogen facilitates blood flow, influences nitric oxide systems, and has a relaxant effect on smooth muscle tissues. These processes are important to the sexual response in menopausal women. The aim of this study was to compare the sexual function of menopausal women before and after using Ginkgo biloba capsules. In this clinical trial without controlled group, 40 healthy volunteers aged 50 – 60 years of age, attending three health-care centers of TUMS enrolled in the study in 2010. The subjects received GBE at a dose of 120–240 daily for 30 days. Sexual function was measured using the Sabbatsberg Sexual Rating Scale (SSRS). Of the 40 subjects who enrolled in this study, 31 women followed and completed the study protocol. The data were analyzed using statistical tests such as Fisher's exact test and paired t test. After 1 month of intervention, significant differences were found between the mean scores for sexual desire (p= 0.000), sexual activity (p=0.01), sexual satisfaction (p=0.01), sexual pleasure (p = 0.001), and orgasm (p=0.01) during the previous month. There was also a significant difference in sexual pleasure (P=0.001), orgasm (P=0.03), and the importance of sex compared to the results obtained in the previous years (p=0.007). In this study, we found that GBE had a positive effect on several aspects of sexual function; thus, these findings support the positive effect of GBE on the sexual function of menopausal women.