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Comparison of the effect of honey and mefenamic acid on the severity of pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea

  • General Gynecology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and objective

Primary dysmenorrhea starts simultaneously with menstruation or before it and usually continues for 48–72 h. As a prevalence disorder, it affects about 80–97% of women in the reproductive age. The conventional treatment modalities of primary dysmenorrhea are associated with complications and side effects. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge of the effect of honey on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of honey on the severity of pain in women with dysmenorrhea.

Methods

A randomized crossover clinical trial was conducted on 56 female students. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Groups I and II received honey and mefenamic acid in the ‘first treatment period’, respectively. In the ‘second treatment period’, the intervention methods were reversed between the groups. Samples recorded the severity of pain during the first 3 days of menstruation.

Results

There were no significant differences in the most severe level of pain in the first and second months of the first treatment period, and the first and second months of the second treatment period between the groups.

Conclusions

Honey and the mefenamic acid capsules led to the same amount of pain relief in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Honey is suggested to be used for pain relief due to its lower side effects and pharmacological complications.

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Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to thank sincerely the participants who without their collaboration the production of this article would be impossible. In addition, our gratitude should be extended to the respectable chancellor, deputy of education and research of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Research Council and Medical Ethics Council affiliated with Arak University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran

    Ë Leila Amiri Farahani & Tooba Heidari

  2. Department of Reproductive Health and Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ë Leila Amiri Farahani & Seyedeh Batool Hasanpoor-Azghdy

  3. Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Hengameh Kasraei

  4. School of Medicine, International Branch, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Hengameh Kasraei

Authors
  1. Ë Leila Amiri Farahani
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  2. Seyedeh Batool Hasanpoor-Azghdy
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  3. Hengameh Kasraei
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  4. Tooba Heidari
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Contributions

LA and TH designed the study, conducted literature research, responsible for data acquisition, and were involved in data analysis. HK were involved in writing the manuscript. LA and BH were responsible for the manuscript drafting and have read and approved the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ë Leila Amiri Farahani.

Ethics declarations

Sources of support in the form of grants

The study’s research proposal was approved by the research council affiliated with Arak University of Medical Sciences that provided financial support. In addition, this study was registered at the Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences that corroborated its ethical considerations (decree number 89-94-3).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

The authors received financial support for the research from Arak University of Medical Sciences and no financial support for publication of this article.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Amiri Farahani, Ë.L., Hasanpoor-Azghdy, S.B., Kasraei, H. et al. Comparison of the effect of honey and mefenamic acid on the severity of pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Arch Gynecol Obstet 296, 277–283 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4409-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4409-6

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