The Effect of Aromatherapy (with Lavender) on Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta –Analysis

Background Dysmenorrhea is an important disease that affects physical, social and psychological functioning such as social, emotional and health performance. The lavender essential oils are being used in both combined and mere forms. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to investigate the effects of lavender alone and in combination with other aromatic plants on the attenuation of dysmenorrhea. Materials and Methods The previously published articles were searched on only English databases of Medline, Cochrane library and scouts. Headings (MeSH) using the main keywords of (Lavandula OR lavender) AND (Dysmenorrhea) since inception until March 15 2019. We also searched all Iranian Databases with the same English keywords. Results Meta-analysis of lavender alone ‘showed that dysmenorrhea intensity was lower in patient treated with lavender in comparison to control: standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.17, 95% confidence interval: -1.72 to-0.629. Heterogeneity was 85% and significant (p<0.001). Our meta-analysis showed dysmenorrhea intensity was lower in patients treated with compound containing lavender in comparison to control: SMD =-1.04; (p<0.001). Conclusion Given the patient's interest in complementary medicine and the low cost of this therapeutic approach, this technique can be used as a useful way to improve dysmenorrhea. The findings of these studies should be interpreted with caution because of the high heterogeneity between studies and the small number of studies and small sample size.