Comparison of purslane cream and lanolin on nipple pain among breastfeeding women: A randomized clinical trial

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Instructor, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Medical Sciences Research Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal nipple pain is one of the common complaints on the first few days post birth, which is the second cause of early discontinuation of breastfeeding. Lanolin is the recommended treatment for relieving the nipple pain. In addition, purslane has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects due to containing flavonoids and saponins. Regarding this, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of purslane cream and lanolin on nipple pain among the breastfeeding women.
Material and Methods: This double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted on 86 breastfeeding women suffering from nipple pain in Mashhad, Iran, in 2016. The samples were randomly assigned into two groups of purslane cream and lanolin (n=43 cases in each group). Both groups were trained about the correct method of breastfeeding and using cream. The nipple pain scores were measured and recorded by the researcher before the treatment, as well as 3 and 8 days post-intervention using the numeric pain scale. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 22) using the t-test, Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, and Wilcoxon test. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: According to the results, the two groups were comparable before the intervention in terms of pain severity. The two groups showed a significant difference in pain severity on days 3 and 8 post-intervention, compared to the pre-intervention stage; accordingly, the severity of pain was decreased in both groups (P<0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the pain severity on the third and eighth days post-intervention (P<0.001). In this regard, the purslane group showed a lower pain severity than the lanolin group.
Conclusion: As the findings of the present study indicated, purslane cream was more effective in the treatment of nipple pain than lanolin.

Keywords

References

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The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 20, Issue 12
March 2018
Pages 77-85

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