Resumen de Saffron and childbirth; A triple blind clinical trial
Sediqeh Ahmadi, Maryam Aradmehr, Sediqeh Azhari
Background and objective: For many women, childbirth remains to be the most painful experience of their life. Coping with pain and shortening the course of childbirth are among the important aspects of healthcare. In Traditional Medicine, the pain-relief effects of saffron have been reported to facilitate childbirth. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of oral consumption of saffron on the severity of pain, anxiety and the length of the first and second stages of labor. Material and methods: This triple blind clinical trial was conducted on 60 women at first childbirth who were qualified for the study at 17Shahrivar Hospital in Mashhad during 2013-2014. The study units were randomly selected using available sampling method who were assigned into two intervention groups; experimental (250 mg saffron capsule) and control (placebo capsules) groups. With the onset of the active phase of labor, one saffron capsule was received by the study unit. Pain severity and anxiety were measured at the beginning of the study and then for every hour until the end of the active phase of labor using visual analogue scale of pain severity. The active phase length of the first and second stages of labor were measured through a vaginal examination by the researcher. The dosage was repeated, if needed, every 2 hours and up to three dosages, taking into account the possible side effects. The data were analyzed using SPSS 11.5, and descriptive and analytical statistics. Findings: The mean score for total pain severity at the active phase of the first stage of labor was 85.9±4 for the group who received saffron capsule and 97.4±2.9 for the placebo group, indicating a significant difference) p<0.001). The mean score for the length of the active phase of the first stage of labor was shorter for the group who receive saffron capsules compared to the placebo (63.6±13.8), which indicates a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.002). The mean score for the length of second stage of labor were 34.8±17.6 and 64.3±23.6 for the saffron group and the placebo, respectively, indicating a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.000). The mean score for anxiety was for the saffron group (26.16±1.4) was less than that of the placebo group (43.18±9.8) (p=0.000). In addition, the mean score for fatigue in saffron group (57.20±7.9) was significantly less than that of the placebo group (p=0.004). No maternal and neonatal complications were observed in the study units.Conclusion: Given to the significantly reduced pain severity and anxiety, and thereby the reduced length of active phase of the first and second stage of labor for the group who received saffron capsule with no subsequent complication, the saffron can be used as a mild pain killer facilitating the process of childbirth.
