Fenugreek May Help Sexual Function, Period Pain, and Lactation

The hormonal benefits of fenugreek extend beyond the muscle-bulking testosterone boost.

In my video about the benefits of fenugreek seeds, I profiled a study in which young men were randomized to a sugar pill or fenugreek capsules for eight weeks, and they got a significant improvement in upper body strength, lower body strength, body composition, as well as a significant reduction in body fat percentage. The only side effect? It can make your sweat and pee smell like maple syrup. Seems like a bonus!

Studies on immature, castrated rats suggest fenugreek’s muscle bulking is a testosterone effect, as you can see below and at 0:44 in my video Fenugreek Benefits for Sexual Function, Painful Periods, and Milk Production.

But its effect on humans wasn’t known until four randomized controlled trials put it to the test and found a significant boost of total blood testosterone. And indeed, fenugreek appears to improve sexual function in men, for example, doubling the frequency of morning erections, as you can see below and at 1:03 in my video.

What about the sexual function in women? While the estrogen hormone estradiol stimulates vaginal lubrication and blood flow, facilitating a woman’s capacity for orgasm and sexual arousal, it’s the testosterone that’s linked with sexual desire in both men and women. Drug companies have tried testosterone patches on women to try to increase sexual desire, but there are concerns about blood clots and long-term safety. What about a little fenugreek? Researchers observed a significant increase in testosterone compared to placebo and a boost in estradiol that resulted in both an increase in sexual desire and function, translating to about a doubling of sexual activity compared to placebo, as you can see below and at 1:49 in my video.

If fenugreek causes an increase in estrogen levels, what about the efficacy of fenugreek for reducing menopausal symptoms? A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study found a significant reduction in menopausal symptoms across every single domain, including cutting the weekly numbers of hot flashes and night sweats in half over a period of three months, as you can see below and at 2:08 in my video.

Other hormonal effects include an improvement in painful periods. I like that the researchers of this study didn’t use some proprietary extract, but just plain fenugreek powder that can be bought at the store. They packed it into capsules so they could pit it against a sugar pill placebo, but the dose they used is just about a third of a teaspoon, three times a day, taken the first three days of the participants’ periods. A third of a teaspoon would only cost about 5 cents. And boom! Participants experienced a significant decrease in pain. Other symptoms appeared to improve as well, including headaches, fatigue, and nausea.

While we’re on a roll with hormonal effects, how effective is fenugreek as a galactagogue? It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but a galactagogue is a substance that increases breast milk production in lactating mothers, and fenugreek fits the bill—and not just by a little. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, breastfeeding women took less than a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek, less than a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger, and about a 16th of a teaspoon of turmeric every day and doubled their milk production within a month. They had about a 50% increase by week two and a 100% increase by week four.

However, due to its potential to stimulate the uterus, fenugreek seeds should not be used during pregnancy. Though this is all based on laboratory animal data, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Doctor’s Note

My other videos on fenugreek are Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds and Side Effect of Fenugreek Consumption.