The effect of vitamin D and E vaginal suppositories on tamoxifen-induced vaginal atrophy in women with breast cancer.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Vaginal atrophy is one of the most common side effects of using tamoxifen in women with breast cancer.

Hormone therapy for vaginal atrophy is prohibited in these women.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of vitamin D and E vaginal suppositories on vaginal atrophy in women with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

Women under breast cancer management receiving tamoxifen and showing symptoms of vaginal atrophy were randomized triple-blind to an 8-week trial on vaginal suppository vitamin E or vitamin D or placebo administered every night before bedtime.

The genitourinary atrophy self-assessment tool was administered, and pH was measured in all three groups before the intervention and at the end of weeks 2, 4, and 8 of the intervention.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

The Vaginal Maturation Index (VMI) was also measured before the intervention and at the end of the eighth week.

Data were analyzed with paired t tests, repeated measures analysis of variance, and chi-square test.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Atrophy, Breast Neoplasms, Iran, Postmenopause, Suppositories, Tamoxifen and Vagina.

Author keywords: Atrophic vaginitis, Breast cancer, Vaginal suppository, Vitamin D and Vitamin E.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2019 (Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.