Effect of Tribulus terrestris, ginger, saffron, and Cinnamomum on menopausal symptoms: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Menopausal symptoms experienced by women vary widely, and while many women transition through menopause with manageable symptoms, others experience severe symptoms, which may impair their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Tribulus terrestris, ginger, saffron, and Cinnamomum on menopausal symptoms. A randomised, triple-blind, controlled trial design was used for this study. The participants were 80 postmenopausal women aged 50-60 years. A demographic data form and the Menopause Rating Scale were used to collect data. The women were randomly divided into two groups, each of which received either an Aphrodit capsule or a placebo twice a day for four weeks. The two bottles looked exactly the same, so that the investigator and the participants were not aware of the contents of the bottles. Each Aphrodit capsule contained 40 mg of Tribulus terrestris, 12.27 mg of Zingiber officinale, 3 mg of Crocus sativus extract, and 11 mg of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, while the placebo capsules contained 50 mg of starch. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. A statistically significant change was reported in the menopausal symptoms of the intervention group compared with the placebo group. The results of the study demonstrate that the Aphrodit capsule was effective in reducing menopausal symptoms.

Effect of sacrum-perineum heat therapy on active phase labor pain and client satisfaction: a randomized, controlled trial study.

AIM: Reduction of labor pain is one of the most important aspects of obstetric care. Heat therapy, typically applied to the woman's back, lower abdomen, groin, and/or perineum during last stage of labor, is an easy pain relief method that does not require highly skilled care. The effectiveness of heat therapy applied to the perineum during the first stage of labor has not been evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of heat therapy for pain and woman's satisfaction during physiological labor. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixty primiparous women aged 18-35 years old were randomly assigned to heat therapy and control groups. Pain and satisfaction scores were measured by visual analog scale. The measurements of satisfaction were accomplished after birth. Data were analyzed by using the t-test and chi-square RESULTS: Mean pain scores in the heat therapy group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05). The mean satisfaction score in the heat therapy group was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Heat therapy, an inexpensive complementary treatment with low risk, can reduce the intensity of pain and increase mothers' satisfaction with care during the active phase of labor.

The Effect of Oral Intake of Honey Syrup on the Pain Intensity of Active Phase of Parturition of nulliparous women: A Randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Labor is a natural pain despite the fact that the severity of the pain and response to it differ in various people, but most women refer to labor as an unpleasant experience of their lives. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of honey on the severity of labor in primigravida women. METHODS: In this study, 80 healthy volunteer primigravida women were entered to the research as randomized clinical trial (40 subjects in each group) after studying and signing consent form and they were randomly divided into two intervention honey group and control group. The data gathering tool comprised four main parts of the personal profile questionnaire, controls performance in the labor, records fluid intake rate and pain intensity using a 0-10 cm ruler. RESULTS: The mean of pain intensity in the honey syrup intervention group was significant. CONCLUSION: Honey syrup consumption without side effects significantly affected the severity of labor.

Development and Assessment of Respectful Maternity Care Questionnaire in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Disrespectful and undignified care during childbirth has been documented in health facilities all over the world. The purpose of this study was to develop and pretest a new instrument, the Quality of Respectful Maternity Care Questionnaire in Iran (QRMCQI), with an ensured validity and reliability to evaluate and measure Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) in three sections of labor, delivery and post-partum. METHODS: This is a study with mixed sequential exploratory design. Here, the questionnaire design is a part of descriptive survey study and consists of five phases implemented in one year. The phases include item or questions generation, face validation, content validity assessment, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability assurance of the questionnaire. The participants were selected from the mothers referring to health care centers affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences in five cities after recruitment from hospital for after-care services of delivery. RESULTS: The primary questionnaire was developed, face validity was performed by experts and their comments were implemented. The content validity index (CVI), Kappa index and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were calculated for each item and they were satisfactory in an acceptable range. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed good fit of the hypothesized model for 453 participants in the interview. Testing showed an acceptable internal consistency and reliability by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient for questions in labor (0.86), in delivery (0.85), and in postpartum care (0.78). CONCLUSION: We have developed a new instrument as the 59-item QRMCQI for evaluating respectful maternity care in Iran through a rigorous process of item generation and validity-reliability assessment besides confirmatory factor analysis that were in an acceptable range and can be used as a reliable instrument for RMC in Iran.

Birth ball or heat therapy? A randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of birth ball usage with sacrum-perineal heat therapy in labor pain management.

OBJECTIVE: Labor pain and its management is a major concern for childbearing women, their families and health care providers. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two non-pharmacological methods such as birth ball and heat therapy on labor pain relief. MATERIAL & METHODS: This randomized control trial was undertaken on 90 primiparous women aged 18-35 years old who were randomly assigned to two intervention (birth ball and heat) and control groups. The pain score was recorded by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before the intervention and every 30 min in three groups until cervical dilatation reached 8 cm. RESULTS: The mean pain severity score in the heat therapy group was less than that of in control group at 60 and 90 min after intervention (p < 0.05). In addition there were significantly differences between the pain scores in the birth ball group after all three investigated times in comparison to control group. CONCLUSION: Both heat therapy and birth ball can use as inexpensive complementary and low risk treatment for labor pain.

Postmenopausal Women's Quality of Sleep and its Related Factors.

AIMS: To asses self-reported sleep disturbance and its associated factors in 50-60-year-old Menopause women. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross sectional study included 700 healthy 50-60-year-old women volunteers who were postmenopausal for at least 1 year. The volunteers were interviewed after providing informed consent. The study questioner included two main aspects: Personal characteristics and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed by using SPSS 14 software. RESULTS: The mean sleep scale score was 7.84 ± 4.4. Significant correlations had seen between sleep disturbance and characteristics of occupational status, educational status, husband's occupational status, and economical status, and (P = 0.002). There were no significant correlation between sleep disturbance and other personal characteristics, such as age; partner's age; number of children; family size; consumption of tea, coffee, or cola. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance is common in menopausal women. Taking into account the sleep-related personal characteristics, suitable interventions should be taken to improve sleep quality, which is a very important for maintaining the quality of life.

The effect of olive oil and the Saj® cream in prevention of striae gravidarum: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of olive oil and the Saj(®) cream on the occurrence and severity of striae gravidarum. DESIGN: Parallel randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: West Health Centre, Lolagar and Akbarabadi Hospitals, Tehran, Iran. INTERVENTIONS: 360 Nulliparous women at their second trimester of pregnancy randomly (simple randomization) allocated into three groups of olive oil, the Saj(®) cream, and control that finally 150 of them (50 subjects in each group) completed the study. Control group did not receive any medication/intervention. At gestational age of 38-40 weeks the participants were evaluated regarding the occurrence of striae on abdominal skin and its severity that were primary outcome of the study. RESULTS: In the olive oil group, striae occurred in 72% of the participants, which were mild, moderate, and severe in 32%, 26%, and 6% of the cases, respectively. In those who received Saj(®) cream, striae occurred in 64% of the cases, which were mild, moderate and severe in 16%, 34%, and 14% of the cases, respectively. With regard to the control group, striae occurred in 60% of the participants, among which striae were mild, moderate, and severe in 22%, 24%, and 14% of the cases, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences among the three studied groups regarding the incidence or severity of striae. CONCLUSION: Neither olive oil nor the Saj(®) cream were effective in preventing the occurrence of striae gravidarum or affecting its severity. Further studies to examine the effect of other herbal/chemical preparations on occurrence of striae gravidarum are recommended.

Effect of Royal Jelly on premenstrual syndrome among Iranian medical sciences students: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may have negative effects on women's health and sometimes need therapeutic non-pharmacological management. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of oral consumption of 1000 mg Royal Jelly capsule on premenstrual syndrome. METHOD: This is a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which was conducted in Tehran University of Medical Sciences female dormitories between December 2011 and October 2012. The study population comprised 110 medical sciences student with PMS, whom were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. Each participant in the intervention group took one Royal jelly capsule orally per day, starting on the first day of menstruation and continued the same treatment daily throughout two consecutive menstrual cycles, while participants in the intervention group took placebo capsules as same method. The outcome measure in this study was PMS score as obtained through the Premenstrual Profile 2005. RESULTS: The mean of personal characteristics and baseline level of the premenstrual score before intervention did not differ between groups. After two consecutive months consumption of Royal Jelly, PMS score had decreased from 23.17 ± 17.43 to 11.42 ± 14.58 (mean change: 11.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.31-15.19) and in Placebo, PMS score changed from 21.48 ± 16.39 to 20.27 ± 15.76 (mean change: 1.20; 95% CI: -1.69 to 4.10). Also difference between mean changes was significant (mean difference: 10.54; 95% CI: 6.10-14.98). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study have demonstrated that 2 months consumption of Royal Jelly was effective in reducing PMS.

Triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Ginkgo biloba extract on sexual desire in postmenopausal women in Tehran.

BACKGROUND: During the menopausal period, sexual desire may decrease. Therefore, restoring the sexual desire may help to improve sexual functioning in this group of women. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on sexual desire in postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 80 healthy female volunteers attending three healthcare centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) were enrolled. The instrument of this study had two main parts. The first part covered the personal characteristics of the volunteers and the second part used the Sabbatsberg Sexual Rating Scale (SSRS) to subjectively evaluate sexual desire before and after intervention. The participants received GBE at a dose of 120-240 mg (n = 40) or received placebo (n = 40) daily for 30 days. The results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test. All analyses were performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The sexual desire was significantly improved in the GBE group compared to the placebo group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that GBE had a positive effect on sexual desire of menopausal women; thus, these findings support the positive effect of GBE on the sexual function of menopausal women.

Effect of aromatherapy massage on menopausal symptoms: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Menopause is a significant event in most women's lives because it marks the end of a woman's natural reproductive life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on menopausal symptoms. METHODS: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted at a menopausal clinic at a gynecology hospital in Tehran. The study population comprised 90 women who were assigned to an aromatherapy massage group, a placebo massage group, or a control group. Each participant in the aromatherapy massage group received 30-minute aromatherapy treatment sessions twice a week for 4 weeks with aroma oil, whereas participants in the placebo massage group received the same treatment with plain oil. No treatment was provided to participants in the control group. The outcome measures in this study were menopausal symptoms, as obtained through the Menopause Rating Scale. RESULTS: The mean baseline level of the menopausal score did not differ among all groups. However, after eight sessions of intervention, the Menopause Rating Scale score differed significantly among the three groups (P < 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that women in both the aromatherapy massage group and the placebo massage group had a lower menopausal score than the control group (P < 0.001). When the aromatherapy massage and the placebo massage groups were compared, the menopausal score for the aromatherapy massage group was found to be significantly lower (P < 0.001) than for the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study demonstrate that both massage and aromatherapy massage were effective in reducing menopausal symptoms. However, aromatherapy massage was more effective than only massage.

Effect of valerian on sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbances reduce the quality of life. About 50% of postmenopausal women experience sleep disturbances such as insomnia. Complementary and alternative medical therapies may be useful for the management of sleep disturbances among postmenopausal women. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of valerian extract taken nightly on the improvement of sleep quality in postmenopausal women experiencing insomnia. METHODS: A randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial design was used for this study. Participants consisted of 100 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 60 years who were experiencing insomnia. A demographic data form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to collect data. The women were randomly divided into two groups. Each group received either 530 mg of concentrated valerian extract or a placebo twice a day for 4 weeks. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A statistically significant change was reported in the quality of sleep of the intervention group in comparison with the placebo group (P < 0.001). Also, 30% of the participants in the intervention group and 4% in the placebo group showed an improvement in the quality of sleep (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Valerian improves the quality of sleep in women with menopause who are experiencing insomnia. Findings from this study add support to the reported effectiveness of valerian in the clinical management of insomnia.

Effect of birth ball usage on pain in the active phase of labor: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety can be a contributor to labor pain, which is known to be multifactorial. Because there is little information available on the efficacy of birth ball use for labor pain management, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of use of a birth ball on labor pain, contractions, and duration of the active phase of labor. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 primiparous women aged 18 to 35 years were divided into birth ball and control groups. Pain scores were measured by a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Mean pain scores in the birth ball group were significantly lower than the mean pain scores in the control group (P < .05). There were no significant differences between duration of the active phase of labor or the interval between uterine contractions in the 2 groups (P > .05). DISCUSSION: Although the use of a birth ball had no effect on the duration of the active phase of labor, the duration of uterine contractions, or the interval between contractions, this complementary treatment could reduce the intensity of pain during the active phase of labor.

Effects of olive oil on striae gravidarum in the second trimester of pregnancy.

This study was performed in order to determine the effects of olive oil on striae gravidarum (SG) occurring within the second trimester of pregnancy. The intervention group, applied olive oil on their abdominal skin area twice a day until the end of the study term. The control group did not use any oil. Striae occurred in 40% of women using olive oil whilst striae were noted to occur in 50% of the control group. There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups. This study notes that the use of olive oil to the end of the second trimester in pregnancy was not effective in reducing the occurrence of striae gravidarum.