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Objectives: According to Persian medicine (PM), the uterus is an important organ in women, responsible for purifying the blood and nourishing the fetus. Each organ has a specific temperament distinct from the whole-body temperament based on PM. Dystemperament occurs when body or organ Mizaj (Persian word for temperament) deviates from what is considered normal, resulting in malfunction. Many gynecological disorders described in PM and conventional medicine, including infertility, recurrent miscarriage, oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea, hypermenorrhea, vaginitis, cervicitis, urinary incontinence, and pelvic pain, are considered to be associated with uterine dystemperaments. Hence, proper management of such disorders requires precise diagnosis and treatment of uterine dystemperaments. Accordingly, this review study aimed to collect and categorize these symptoms from PM texts and other relevant articles. Methods: In this study, we reviewed 10 well-known PM references, including Canon in Medicine (Al-Qanun Fi al-Teb), the Great Panacea (Exir-e A'zam), the Treasure of Kharazmshah (Zakhireh Kharazmshahi), the Perfect Book of the Art of Medicine (Kamel al-Sana'a al-Tebbiya), Akbari's Medicine (Tebb-E-Akbari), Gharshi's Commentary on Canon of Medicine (Sharh-e Qarshi bar Qanun), Commentary on Hippocrates' Aphorisms (Sharh-e Fosul-e Boqraat), Summary of Experiences (Kholasa-tut Tajarob), Description of Signs and Symptoms (Sharh-e Asbab va Alamat), and Aghili's Treatments (Mo'alejat-e Aghili). Moreover, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, SienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases were queried with the keywords 'mizaj', 'temperament', 'uterus', 'uterine', 'cold/hot or warm', and 'dry/wet', while Persian databases of Magiran, Iran Medex, and SID were searched using keywords 'mizaj', 'rahem', 'garm', 'sard', 'tar', and 'khoshk' to extract signs and symptoms associated with uterine temperament and dystemperament. Results: Five indicators were specified in the articles and PM sources for determining the temperament and dystemperament of the uterus as follows: 1) Menstrual blood characteristics (including amount, temperature, color, odor, flow rate, and consistency); 2) Uterine discharge characteristics (including amount, consistency, color, odor, and accompanied symptoms, especially burning and itching); 3) Fertility and pregnancy status (including infertility, abortion, etc.); 4. Other characteristics of the female reproductive system (including pubic hair, menarche age, sexual desire and quality of intercourse, and vaginal and cervical condition on vaginal examination); and 5) General symptoms (including the ten PM indicators of whole-body Mizaj). Conclusions: PM sources have described the characteristics of uterine temperament and dystemperament in detail. These indices can be used for more effective diagnosis, treatment, and even prevention of gynecological diseases, as well as designing and validation of standard tools for determining uterine temperament and dystemperament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This review investigates the existing research with regard to a variety of different suggested methods by traditional Persian medicine (TPM) about the baby's sex selection. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive scoping review including five stages was conducted to summarize evidence on preimplantation sex selection in TPM. The research question and relevant studies were identified in stages 1 and 2, respectively. Then, studies were selected and data were charted in stages 3 and 4, and finally, the results were collated, summarized, and reported in stage 5. Results: Accordingly, 7 general categories were arranged, including the temperament of the sexual organs in a man, the temperament of sexual organs in a woman, the type of male semen, and timing and manner of sexual intercourse for fetus sex induction purposes. Other categories were the effect of environmental factors, the couple's psychic states during the course of love-making, the couple's age, and measures for male sex induction. Conclusions: This review summarizes the existing research regarding different suggested methods by TPM on the baby's sex selection. These could well be the basis for further prospective scientific research and investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The temperament is a basic concept of maintaining health in Traditional Persian Medicine. The two main grouping of temperament is hot/cold and wet/dry. Many female disorders include infertilities are diagnosed and treated based on the dystemperament therapies. This report describes design of a questionnaire for uterine temperament detection and its use to evaluate the uterine temperament of a population of infertile women. Methods: The uterine temperament parameters derived from main textbooks were used to design a questionnaire which its validity and reliability was proven by statistical methods. The questionnaire was then used to detect the uterine temperament of 54 infertile females. Also full history and physical exam and vaginal sonography was performed in the 3rd day of the menstrual cycle for all study participants. Results: The mean age was 30.92 ± 5.53 years old. Mean uterine temperament score was 3.21 ± 0.53 for hotness and 4.28 ± 1 for wetness. Mean general body temperament was 138.88 ± 17.61. The general body temperament hotness/coldness was significantly correlated with the uterus hotness/coldness (r = 0.0842); while the wetness/dryness temperament of the body and uterus were not correlated. Moreover, uterus temperament was not correlated with the size of the uterus and ovaries in sonography, but pelvic width was correlated with hot uterine temperament (r = 0.354, P = 0.0145). Conclusions: In the present study, the most prevalent achieved temperament was cold and wet in patients with infertility complaint. Moreover, the hot/cold temperament of body and pelvic width were correlated with uterus temperament. This may propose new prevention and also treatment methods in the field of infertility, which needs to be further evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chamomile is a fascinating plant quoted in several traditional medicine texts, which has broad-spectrum pharmacological activity and medicinal uses. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of chamomile syrup in reducing serum prolactin in women with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. The study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial that was conducted on 56 women with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia for a study period of four weeks. Patients were randomly enrolled in two parallel arms and were treated by chamomile syrup at a dose of 5 mL twice daily or cabergoline tablet orally at a dose of 0.25 mg twice weekly. Serum prolactin levels were measured at baseline and the end of the 4-week study period. Any report of adverse events was also recorded. Results revealed that within the cabergoline group the reduction in the mean prolactin level was significantly greater than that of the chamomile group (p <0.0001). It was also found that decline in the mean prolactin level was statistically significant within the chamomile group (p <0.0001). Chamomile syrup seems to be effective on serum prolactin reduction in women with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. However, studies with a larger sample size and for a longer follow-up period are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is known as the most common hormonal disorder in women at reproductive age. Recent studies have revealed a high prevalence of sleep disorders in PCOS, suggesting that it is an amendable factor for these patients; however, the sleep was not considered in their treatment plan. According to the Iranian traditional medicine (ITM), sleep is an important item in the lifestyle modification of all diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of sleep hygiene in PCOS from the view of ITM and Modern Medicine. In this study, some keywords about "sleep and PCOS" were searched in medical databases and some ITM books. Lifestyle modification is one of the first steps in treatment of patients with PCOS in which the emphasis will be mainly on exercise and diet. Despite proof of the high prevalence of sleep disorders in these patients, modification of sleep is not considered in their lifestyle. ITM as a holistic medicine emphasizes on lifestyle modification under the title of "Settah-e-Zaruria" (In Persian), the six essential schemes for the prevention and treatment of all diseases. Management of sleep is one of these schemes. There are many advices about sleep hygiene in both ITM and modern medicine. It seems that lifestyle modification should be expanded in PCOS patients to include more options, and sleep hygiene should be considered in their lifestyle alongside food and exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persian Medicine, which flourished in the Islamic Golden Age (9th to 12th century AD), considers the human body a unified whole whose organs are in constant interaction and equilibrium with each other. The skin is one of these interdependent organs that play an important role in protecting internal organs, and as an excretion route, it can expel substances that are not consumed by the body. Alternatively, the uterus, a vital organ in pregnancy, excretes excess body material during menstruation to maintain a woman’s health. This narrative study discussed the importance of aligning the structure and function of these two organs based on the main textbooks of Persian Medicine, especially those written during this historical period. Likewise, electronic databases were used for investigating related articles The skin and uterus are two excretory organs. When the secretion of excess material through menstruation is physiologically or pathologically impaired, the body transfers these substances to the skin as the organ associated with the uterus. Thus, the clinical manifestations of some skin diseases can be a sign of imbalance in the function of the uterus and its related organs. Consequently, the structural and functional similarities of both organs can provide a new guide in the approach to their participatory diseases in the integration of Persian and conventional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite scientific advances, many of the treatments in male infertility remained indeterminate. In recent years, the attention to herbal remedies as an effective treatment for male infertility is considerable. We designed this study to determine the effects of Alpinia officinarum on the results of semen analysis in men with idiopathic infertility. In this clinical trial, seventy‐six participants with idiopathic infertility were included in the intervention (plant treatment: n = 31; placebo: n = 29). Participants were randomised to take capsules containing dried extract of A. officinarum rhizome or placebo on a daily (total daily dosage of 300 mg) basis for 3 months. After 12 weeks of intervention, the sperm count and total number of spermatozoa with normal morphology were increased in participants treated with A. officinarum extract compared with the placebo group. The mean sperm count was initially 52 × 106 ± 24 × 106/ml which changed to 71 × 106 ± 23 × 106/ml, after intervention (p = 0.043). Also, the mean percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology was 14.34% ± 9.16% before the treatment which significantly increased to 19% ± 14.89% (p < 0.001). Alpinia officinarum, a traditional medicine remedy, can be effective in the improvement of sperm morphology and sperm count in idiopathic infertility without causing adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor about premature ovarian failure (POF) abd the Iranian physician Ibn-Sina or Avicenna is presented.

Persian Medicine, which flourished in the Islamic Golden Age (9th to 12th century AD), considers the human body a unified whole whose organs are in constant interaction and equilibrium with each other. The skin is one of these interdependent organs that play an important role in protecting internal organs, and as an excretion route, it can expel substances that are not consumed by the body. Alternatively, the uterus, a vital organ in pregnancy, excretes excess body material during menstruation to maintain a woman's health. This narrative study discussed the importance of aligning the structure and function of these two organs based on the main textbooks of Persian Medicine, especially those written during this historical period. Likewise, electronic databases were used for investigating related articles. The skin and uterus are two excretory organs. When the secretion of excess material through menstruation is physiologically or pathologically impaired, the body transfers these substances to the skin as the organ associated with the uterus. Thus, the clinical manifestations of some skin diseases can be a sign of imbalance in the function of the uterus and its related organs. Consequently, the structural and functional similarities of both organs can provide a new guide in the approach to their participatory diseases in the integration of Persian and conventional medicine.

Background: Tribulus terrestris as a herbal remedy has shown beneficial aphrodisiac effects in a number of animal and human experiments. This study was designed as a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Tribulus terrestris in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder during their fertile years. Sixty seven women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder were randomly assigned to Tribulus terrestris extract (7.5 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks. Desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks after the end of the treatment by using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Two groups were compared by repeated measurement ANOVA test., Results: Thirty women in placebo group and thirty women in drug group completed the study. At the end of the fourth week, patients in the Tribulus terrestris group had experienced significant improvement in their total FSFI (p < 0.001), desire (p < 0.001), arousal (p = 0.037), lubrication (p < 0.001), satisfaction (p < 0.001) and pain (p = 0.041) domains of FSFI. Frequency of side effects was similar between the two groups., Conclusions: Tribulus terrestris may safely and effectively improve desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Further investigation of Tribulus terrestris in women is warranted.

Background: Amenorrhea is defined as the cessation of menses. Hormone therapy is the most common treatment. Due to the contraindications and side effects of it and the increasing demand for alternative medicine substitutes, Mentha longifolia L. was used in this study. Mentha longifolia L. is a known medication in Iranian traditional medicine to induce menstrual bleeding in women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea., Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study was conducted in 120 women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. Treatment consisted of sequential oral syrup, 45 ml (15 ml three times a day) for 2 weeks. If the patients did not have menstruation after 2 weeks of taking the medication, we would wait for two more weeks. If the patients had menstruation at each stage of using the drug, we started it one week after the end of menstruation. But if the patients had not menstruate after four weeks (two-week using of drug and waiting for two more weeks), the previous steps were repeated. The drug and placebo were repeated in three cycles of menstruation. Bleeding was documented by the patient on diary cards. The primary outcome variable was the occurrence (yes/no) of bleeding during the first treatment cycle. The secondary efficacy outcome was the regularity of bleeding pattern during the three cycles of the study., Results: The number of women with bleeding during the first cycle were higher in the drug group as in the placebo group (68.3% vs. 13.6%; p < 0.001). The regularity of bleeding throughout the study was markedly better in the drug group compared with those given placebo (33.3% vs. 3.3%; p < 0.001). No notable complication or side effect was reported in relation to Mentha longifolia L. syrup., Conclusion: In conclusion, Mentha longifolia L. syrup is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective choice in inducing bleeding and maintaining regular bleeding in women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea.