The effect of fennel on the amount and duration of menstrual bleeding: A quasi-experimental study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Instructor, Department of Midwifery, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran. PhD student in Midwifery, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.

10.22038/ijogi.2024.77747.5982

Abstract

Introduction: With the increasing use of medicinal plants in the treatment of some diseases, studying their side effects is very important. One of these herbal medicines is fennel that various results have been reported regarding its side-effects on the amount of menstrual bleeding, therefore, the present research was conducted with aim to investigate the effect of fennel on the amount and duration of menstrual bleeding.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed in 2016 on 50 students with primary dysmenorrhea living in the dormitories of Islamic Azad University, Ardabil. Participants were examined in three consecutive menstrual cycles. In the first cycle, participants did not take any medication; in the second and third cycles, in the first 3 days of menstruation they used fennel of 3-5 drops in water or tea three times a day. The standard Higham chart was used to determine the amount and duration of bleeding. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (version 17) and Paired-t test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean amount of bleeding before consuming fennel was 46.7±24.8 and in two consecutive cycles after consuming fennel were 48.4±26.2 and 49.5±24.3, respectively, which was not statistically significant. Moreover, no significant difference was observed in the duration of menstrual bleeding before the treatment (6.13±1.33) compared to two consecutive cycles after fennel consuming (6.82±1.45 and 6.26±1.02) (P>0.005).
Conclusion: In the present study, fennel consumption had no effect on the amount and duration of menstrual bleeding. To determine the definitive result and the safety use of fennel, conducting more studies is recommended.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1.  

    1. Mahfouz SA, Sharaf-Eldin MA. Effect of mineral vs. biofertilizer on growth, yield, and essential oil content of fennel [Foeniculum vulgare Mill.]. International agrophysics 2007; 21(4):361-6.
    2. Shahrahmani H, Ghazanfarpour M, Shahrahmani N, Abdi F, Sewell RD, Rafieian-Kopaei M. Effect of fennel on primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine 2021; 18(2):261-9.
    3. Khalaj H, Labbafi HA, Hasan AT, Shaghaghi J, Hajiaghaee R. A review on the botanical, ecological, agronomical and pharmacological properties of the fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). Journal of Medicinal Plants 2019; 18(69).
    4. Motavalli R, Shahbazzadegan S. Comparative study of the effects of fennel with Gelofen on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial. The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility 2018; 21(7):36-42.
    5. Moura LS, Carvalho Jr RN, Stefanini MB, Ming LC, Meireles MA. Supercritical fluid extraction from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): global yield, composition and kinetic data. The Journal of supercritical fluids 2005; 35(3):212-9.
    6. Birdane FM, Cemek M, Birdane YO, Gülçin İ, Büyükokuroğlu ME. Beneficial effects of Foeniculum vulgare on ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in rats. World Journal of Gastroenterology: WJG 2007; 13(4):607.
    7. Jahromi BN, Tartifizadeh A, Khabnadideh S. Comparison of fennel and mefenamic acid for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 2003; 80(2):153-7.
    8. Amjadi MA, Zahrani S, Mojab F, Majd HA. Efficacy of Foeniculum vulgare mill extract on menstrual bleeding over the students of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran 2005. Journal of Medicinal Plants 2010; 9(34):117-23.
    9. Bekhradi Modern phytotherapy. Barij Essence. Kashan; 2004. pp: 61-73. https://barijessence.com/en/history/
    10. Barij Essence Pharmaceutical Company. Products > Human > Medicine. Available at: http://www.barijessence.com/Default.aspx?culture=en-US&Page=products&categoryid=35. Accessed: 13 Sep 2017. Search in Google Scholar.
    11. Modaress Nejad V, Motamedi B. Comparison between the pain-relief effect of fennel and mefenamic acid on primary dysmenorrhea. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences 2006; 5(1):1-6.
    12. Khourshidi N, Ostad SN, Mosadegh M, Sooudi M. Clinical effects of fennel essential oil on primary dysmenorrhea. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 2010; 2(2):89-93.
    13. Omidvar S, Esmailzadeh S, Baradaran M, Basirat Z. Effect of fennel on pain intensity in dysmenorrhoea: A placebo-controlled trial. AYU (An international quarterly journal of research in Ayurveda) 2012; 33(2):311-3.
    14. Bokaie M, Enjezab B. The effects of oral fennel extract on the intensity of menstrual bleeding in relieving dysmenorrheal: a randomized clinical trial. Community Health Journal 2017; 8(1):55-62.
    15. Abdollahi NG, Mirghafourvand M, Mollazadeh S. The effects of fennel on menstrual bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine 2018; 15(3):20170154.
    16. Ehsani P, Nazayer H, Memari A. The efficiency of herbal medicine (Anthemis, Salvia, and Zataria) on menstrual cycle blood discharging. Journal of Woman Cultural Psychology 2013; 5(18):127-140.
    17. Akramipour R, Rezaei M, Rahimi Z. Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among adolescent schoolgirls from Kermanshah, Western Iran. Hematology 2008; 13(6):352-5.
    18. Berek JS. Berek & Novak’s gynecology essentials. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020.
    19. Aali E, Mahmoudi R, Kazeminia M, Hazrati R, Azarpey F. Essential oils as natural medicinal substances. Tehran Univ Med J 2017; 75(7):480-9.
    20. Zeraati F, Shobeiri F, Nazari M, Araghchian M, Bekhradi R. Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of herbal drugs (fennelin and vitagnus) and mefenamic acid in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research 2014; 19(6):581-4.
The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 27, Issue 1
March 2024
Pages 55-62

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics