Adjuvant administration of probiotic effects on sexual function in depressant women undergoing SSRIs treatment: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Article


Hashemi-Mohammadabad, N., Taghavi, S., Lambert, N., Moshtaghi, R., Bazarganipour, F. and Sharifi, M. 2024. Adjuvant administration of probiotic effects on sexual function in depressant women undergoing SSRIs treatment: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05429-w
TypeArticle
TitleAdjuvant administration of probiotic effects on sexual function in depressant women undergoing SSRIs treatment: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial
AuthorsHashemi-Mohammadabad, N., Taghavi, S., Lambert, N., Moshtaghi, R., Bazarganipour, F. and Sharifi, M.
Abstract

Background
According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Health Data Exchange (2023) it is estimated that 5% of all adults will experience depressive disorder. Amongst the general loss of pleasure and interest in everyday activities that are symptoms of low mood, reduced sexual desire and sexual dysfunction can be particularly overlooked. Human sexuality is complex, but finding solutions based on scientific evidence to limit the symptoms of depressive disorder and the iatrogenic impact of antidepressant treatment to improve this outcome is an important step in promoting psychological health and general wellbeing.

Objective
The present study aimed is to provide scientific evidence to assess the effect of oral probiotic on sexual function in women with depressive disorder treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in an Iranian population.

Design
This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Eligible women were assigned to lactofem plus SSRIs (n = 58) or SSRIs alone (n = 54). In group A, SSRI antidepressants were prescribed together with Lactofem, and in group B, SSRI antidepressants were prescribed alone. Lactofem including Lactobacillus acidophilus 2 × 109 cfu/g, Bifidobacterium bifidus 2 × 109 cfu/g, Lactobacillus rutri 2 × 109 cfu/g, Lactobacillus fermentum 2 × 109 cfu/g; capsule weight of 500 mg bio-capsule administered orally and daily. The duration of intervention in two groups was two months. All questionnaires were completed by the patients before and after the intervention. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Larson's Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire were used to evaluate sexual function, severity of depressive disorder and sexual satisfaction, respectively.

Results
Based on the results of the present study, there was a statistically significant difference in sexual satisfaction and severity of depressive disorder between the groups before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). Also, our findings showed that after eight weeks, the Lactofem plus SSRIs group showed significant improvement in FSFI domains and total scores compared to SSRIs alone group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions
The results of the present study show that taking probiotics for eight weeks may improve the severity of depressive disorder, sexual function and sexual satisfaction in depressed women treated with SSRIs.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.govidentifier: IRCT20160524028038N14 (19/12/2022)

KeywordsProbiotic; Sexual function; Depressive disorder; Sexual satisfaction
Sustainable Development Goals3 Good health and well-being
Middlesex University ThemeHealth & Wellbeing
PublisherBioMed Central
JournalBMC Psychiatry
ISSN
Electronic1471-244X
Publication dates
Online12 Jan 2024
Print12 Jan 2024
Publication process dates
Submitted26 Sep 2023
Accepted30 Nov 2023
Deposited06 Aug 2024
Output statusPublished
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05429-w
Web of Science identifierWOS:001142774600006
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