Effect of Chamomile Oil on Cesarean Section Pain in Primiparous Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Pain after cesarean section can turn the pleasant event of childbirth into an unpleasant experience for the mother. Pain relief through non-pharmaceutical methods, such as aromatherapy, could potentially be a useful intervention. In this study, the analgesic effect of chamomile oil was studied. Purpose: The current research was conducted to study the effect of chamomile oil on cesarean section pain in primiparous women. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial wherein 128 primiparous pregnant women (who willingly selected cesarean section) took part. In the aromatherapy group, the subjects inhaled one drop of 5% chamomile oil, and in the control group, the subjects inhaled one placebo drop. In both groups, the subjects inhaled for 15-20 minutes at a distance of 5 cm from the nose at 4, 8, and 12 hours after surgery, and pain intensity was measured half an hour before and after inhalation using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). For data analysis, the software SPSS (version 25) and descriptive statistics (frequency, frequency percentage, mean, and standard deviation) were used. In order to determine the significance, inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, independent t-test, and Chi-square) were used. Findings: Data indicated that the intervention and placebo groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic variables. The average weights and heights of women in the intervention group were 86/5± 5/9 and 163/7 ±5/1, respectively. Corresponding values for women in the control group were 84/5± 5/7 kg and 163/4± 5/8 cm. The finding of the current research indicates that the intervention and placebo groups showed no significant statistical difference in terms of baseline pain before intervention (p=0.08), while the difference between the two groups was significant in terms of pain, 4, 8, and 12 hours after the intervention (p<0.01). Therefore, inhalation of chamomile oil reduced pain intensity significantly compared to post-intervention. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, inhalation of chamomile oil following the cesarean sectionin primiparous women reduced pain and also the need for analgesics. Therefore, the use of aromatherapy with chamomile oil as a simple way without any side effects for the reduction of pain in mothers after the cesarean section is recommended.