Applications of fennel in women's health: a systematic review study

Document Type : Review Article

Author

Associate professor of reproductive health, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Fennel or Foeniculum vulgare is one of the herbal medicines that has a wide and different use in women's health. Considering the need to know about the application of this plant in women's health, this study was conducted with aim to consolidate the existing knowledge and to determine the applications of fennel in women's health.
Methods: In this systematic review, clinical trial studies with fennel intervention on women were searched from databases among all articles, both Persian and English, without time limitation. The quality of the found clinical trials was reviewed by Jadad system and analyzed by using qualitatively analysis.
Results: In this study, 38 clinical trial studies with fennel intervention in women's health were investigated. Of these 38 articles, 4 articles were found on the treatment of premenstrual syndrome, 14 articles on dysmenorrhea, 1 article on the prevention of postpartum dyspareunia, 2 articles on breastfeeding, 3 articles on polycystic ovary syndrome, 12 articles on menopause and 2 articles related to women's bone health. Fennel has been used in various forms of gel, powder, extract, capsule, oil, and vaginal cream. Since the methodology of the studies was heterogeneous in terms of quality, it was not possible to conduct a meta-analysis.
Conclusion: Fennel has been used in women's health and treatment of premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, postpartum dyspareunia, breastfeeding, polycystic ovary syndrome, menopausal symptoms and bone health. On the other hand, due to the possibility of side effects such as the growth of breast tumors with the consumption of fennel and that these plants can be one of the important sources of heavy metals transfer to the human body and endanger human health, it is suggested to avoid excessive consumption of fennel.

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Main Subjects

References

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The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 27, Issue 7
September 2024
Pages 52-66

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