Menopausal Women Can Improve Sexual Function with Probiotics

Hormonal changes at menopause lead to many well known symptoms. A common, but less discussed one, is sexual function. A surprising solution may come from probiotics.

Female Sexual Dysfunction encompasses changes in sexual desire, arousal, orgasm and pain. It is experienced by 68%-86.5% of menopausal women.

Recent research has revealed surprising evidence that probiotics influence estrogen metabolism and can actually alleviate menopause symptoms without the adverse effects of hormone therapy (Post Reprod Health. 2025 May 7;31(2):105–114). Lactobacillus species of probiotics are beneficial for the female reproductive tract, but their population plummets at menopause. Could supplementing it help the sexual symptoms of menopause? A new double-blind study set out to see.

59 premenopausal and menopausal women with sexual dysfunction were divided into two groups. One got a placebo while the other took Lactobacillus acidophilus for 8 weeks.

The main measurement was the Female sexual function index (FSFI). The higher the score, the better the sexual function. Scores in the placebo group were virtually unchanged, moving form 18.0 to 18.2. But in the probiotic group, scores improved from 16.5 to 19.1. The advantage for the probiotic was both statistically and clinically significant. The probiotic group experienced significant improvement compared to placebo in sexual desire, arousal and satisfaction.

The researchers also wanted to measure the effect of probiotics on menopause-specific quality of life. To measure that, they used the Menopause Quality of Life (MENQoL) questionnaire. The higher the score, the worse the menopausal symptoms and the lower the quality of life. So, on this scale, were aiming for a low score. The placebo failed to do that, lowering scores only from 31.5 to 30.9. But the probiotic succeeded, dropping scores from 31.6 to 25.1. Again, the advantage was significant both statistically and clinically. In the sexual domain, the placebo had no effect, while the probiotic lowered the score from 4.0 to 2.0.

This surprising study suggests that probiotics can improve sexual function and quality of life for menopausal women. This is an important discovery, since probiotics are non-hormonal and safe.

Sci Rep. 2026;16:1254.

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