Effects of aromatherapy on dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- PMID: 29729556
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.01.016
Effects of aromatherapy on dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Objective: Menstrual pain is not a disease, but it is a problem that periodically makes women uncomfortable during menstrual cycles. There has been a continuing effort to alleviate menstrual cramps in the medical field. Aromatherapy, one of the alternative complementary therapies, has been used as a way to alleviate menstrual cramps, but there is still little evidence of how to use it. Therefore, in this study, we tried to find and provide the evidence of relieving effects of menstrual cramps.
Design: This study involved a systematic review and meta-analysis. The study was to identify the effects of aromatherapy on menstrual pain through a systematic review of the relevant literature from Korea and abroad and a meta-analysis of the data from studies meeting our inclusion criteria.
Data sources: We obtained articles published in English from PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and we also obtained articles by searching the Korean databases Research Information Service System (RISS), DBPIA, and Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS).
Review methods: A systematic review was performed on all searchable articles published form inception to October 17, 2016, using the international and Korean databases noted above. The search terms used was ((aromatherapy OR aroma* OR essential oil) AND (dysmenorrhea OR menstrual pain)). Articles were selected for analysis from among the retrieved articles based on the key questions and the inclusion and exclusion criteria using a PRISMA flow diagram. The 21 articles entire texts were reviewed and qualitatively analyzed while seven articles were quantitatively analyzed using RevMan software ver. 5.3.
Results: In a comparison between the experimental groups, which received an aromatherapy intervention, and the control groups, which received no treatment of any kind, the dysmenorrhea score in the experimental group decreased by 2.67 points (mean difference -2.67), showing a statistically significant difference(Z = 7.79, p < .001, Higgins I2 = 0%). Compared to the placebo group, which received a placebo oil treatment, the dysmenorrhea score in the experimental group decreased by 1.71 points (mean difference, -1.71), showing a statistically significant difference (Z = 4.51, p < .001), but high heterogeneity (Higgins I2 = 81%).
Conclusions: Aromatherapy was an effective intervention for reducing dysmenorrhea. However, because the analysis showed that the aroma intervention methods were diverse and that the basis for the intervention methods was weak, the possibility of randomization bias was high.
Keywords: Aromatherapy; Dysmenorrhea; Oils; Physiological; Stress; Systematic review; Volatile.
Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Similar articles
-
The Effect of Aromatherapy Alone or in Combination with Massage on Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021 Dec;43(12):968-979. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1740210. Epub 2021 Dec 21. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021. PMID: 34933391 Free PMC article.
-
Effect of aromatherapy on symptoms of dysmenorrhea in college students: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Jul-Aug;12(6):535-41. doi: 10.1089/acm.2006.12.535. J Altern Complement Med. 2006. PMID: 16884344 Clinical Trial.
-
Aromatherapy for Managing Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.J Clin Med. 2018 Nov 10;7(11):434. doi: 10.3390/jcm7110434. J Clin Med. 2018. PMID: 30423839 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Effect of aromatherapy massage on pain in primary dysmenorrhea: A meta-analysis.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2017 May;27:5-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 18. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2017. PMID: 28438280
-
The use of aromatherapy in primary dysmenorrhea.Gac Sanit. 2021;35 Suppl 2:S591-S595. doi: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2021.10.090. Gac Sanit. 2021. PMID: 34929908 Review.
Cited by
-
Clinical practice guidelines for endometriosis in Japan (The 3rd edition).J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2022 Dec;48(12):2993-3044. doi: 10.1111/jog.15416. Epub 2022 Sep 26. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2022. PMID: 36164759 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
The impact of workplace psychosocial factors on menstrual disorders and infertility: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.Syst Rev. 2022 Sep 7;11(1):195. doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-02066-4. Syst Rev. 2022. PMID: 36071533 Free PMC article.
-
The Effects of Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Depression in People With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Front Public Health. 2022 May 30;10:853056. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.853056. eCollection 2022. Front Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35757624 Free PMC article.
-
Role of Aromatherapy as a Natural Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Cardiovascular Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 May 20;2022:4543078. doi: 10.1155/2022/4543078. eCollection 2022. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022. Retraction in: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2023 Oct 11;2023:9853589. doi: 10.1155/2023/9853589. PMID: 35646155 Free PMC article. Retracted. Review.
-
The Effect of Aromatherapy Alone or in Combination with Massage on Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021 Dec;43(12):968-979. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1740210. Epub 2021 Dec 21. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021. PMID: 34933391 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical