The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility

The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility

The Effect of Aromatherapy on Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors
Mitra Kolivand 1
Fateme Dehghan 2
Mastaneh Kamravamanesh 1
Mohsen Kazeminia 3
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
2 PhD of Psychology, Department of Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
3 B.Sc. student of Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
10.22038/ijogi.2021.18984
Abstract
Introduction: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of physical and psychological symptoms of menstruation in women which is one of the most common disorders of reproductive age. Several early articles have been published on the effect of aromatherapy on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. However, a comprehensive study was not found that shows the results of these studies uniformly and clearly, so this study was performed with aim to determine the effect of aromatherapy on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome using systematic review.
Methods: To achieve the studies related to the research objective, databases of SID, Magiran, Pubmed, Google scholar, Scopus and Science direct were searched without time limit until 2021 using the keywords of premenstrual syndrome, aromatherapy in both Persian and English and all possible combinations with the use of operators of OR, AND. Qualitative evaluation of the studies was performed by the consortium checklist.
 Results: Seven plant extracts and essential oils were evaluated in 10 clinical trial studies which met the inclusion criteria. Most of the essential oils studied in the articles had antioxidant and flavonoid compounds with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antidepressant properties and had a beneficial effect on relieving PMS symptoms. The majority of these essential oils had no or minimal side effects. Performing meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity of the studies' methodology and the difference of effects assessment tools.
 Conclusion: Due to the positive effect of using plant extracts and essential oils in reducing the physical and psychological symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, it can be considered as an alternative treatment for women with premenstrual syndrome.
Keywords
Aromatherapy
Premenstrual Syndrome
Systematic Review
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The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 24, Issue 7
September 2021
Pages 37-49