Effect of human placental extract on menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Korean women.

OBJECTIVE In Korea, human placental extract (HPE) has recently been used to treat various diseases (chronic liver diseases, menopause syndrome, chronic fatigue, skin pigment diseases, etc.), but evidence-based studies are not yet sufficient. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of HPE on menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Korean women in a randomized controlled trial. DESIGN Korean women, aged 40 to 64 years, with menopausal symptoms and fatigue were recruited as participants. The women were randomly assigned to a placebo group or an HPE group. The HPE group received subcutaneous injections of HPE in the abdomen for 8 weeks, whereas the placebo group received normal saline. Then, the Menopause Rating Scale, and Fatigue Severity Scale, and Visual Analog Scale were administered, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease were assessed. RESULTS The Menopause Rating Scale total baseline score was not different between the two groups; however, the score of the HPE group decreased significantly at 8 weeks compared with that of the placebo group (P = 0.033). Fatigue Severity Scale and Visual Analog Scale scores of the placebo group did not change, whereas the scores of the HPE group decreased significantly during the study period (Fatigue Severity Scale, P = 0.002; Visual Analog Scale, P = 0.001). The baseline 17beta-estradiol level was not significantly different between the two groups, but the 17beta-estradiol level of the HPE group was significantly increased at 8 weeks compared with that of the placebo group (P = 0.031). No changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS Menopausal symptoms and fatigue in middle-aged Korean women improved after 8 weeks of HPE treatment, whereas risk factors for cardiovascular disease did not change during the study period.