Onset of Labor in Post-Term Pregnancy by Chamomile

Abstract

BackgroundPost-term pregnancy is an important factor in perinatal mortality and morbidity. Generally, to reduce perinatal mortality in pregnancy, the delivery is done before adverse perinatal morbidity occurs. To prevent prolonged pregnancy, labor is induced with chemical drugs and complementary therapies. Due to the side effects and contraindications of chemical medicine, the use of herbs has been investigated in the induction of labor in post-term pregnancy.ObjectivesThis study was done to identify the effect of chamomile on inducing labor in women with post-term pregnancy of Shahid Akbarabadi hospital in Tehran in 2013.Patients and MethodsThis double-blind clinical trial study was performed in Iran on 80 post-term pregnant women with a gestational age of 40 weeks or more, a single pregnancy, 18 - 35 years old, cephalic presentation, an estimated fetal weight of 2500 - 4000 grams, an absence of uterine contraction, a cervical Bishop score of less than 4, the safety of the membrane, and low-risk pregnancy; they were randomly assigned to one of two groups of 40 women. Each of the participants was given a bottle containing 42 capsules (500 mg each) and took 2 capsules every 8 hours. The data were collected through the questionnaire of demographic observational, and examinal characteristics. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and Fisher’s exact test using SPSS (16/win) were used to determine and compare the effects of drugs on inducing labor in the groups.ResultsAfter a week of using the first dose, the results showed that in 92.5% of the chamomile group and 62.5% in the placebo group, delivery symptoms started after taking the oral capsules, and there were significant statistical differences between the two groups for the onset of labor (P = 0.003) There was a noticeable statistical difference between the two groups regarding the mean interval time to the onset of labor pain after taking the capsules (P = 0.000).ConclusionsIn this study¸ chamomile stimulated labor in post-term pregnancy. With further studies, chamomile, which has no chemical side effects, can be suggested for stimulating labor in post-term pregnancy.

Implicações Do Tratamento Conservador Na Persistência Do Canal Arterial Em Recém-Nascidos Prematuros: Revisão Narrativa

“…Sua aplicação pode ser um risco quando associada à fármacos industrializados e preparos artesanais, havendo a probabilidade de interações medicamentosas que podem prejudicar a mãe e o feto. Como benefícios, podem ser elencados: tratamento de infecções, alivio da dor, redução dos sintomas de ansiedade e distúrbios do sono (GHOLAMI et al, 2016;PIRES;ANDRADE;OLIVEIRA, 2021).…”

Female infertility and herbal medicine: An overview of the new findings

“…Also, in a double‐blinded clinical trial by Gholami et al. ( 2016 ) on 80 post‐term pregnant women with a gestational age of 40 weeks or more, it was found that after one week of taking chamomile extract‐containing capsules, labor symptoms began to appear, and compared to the control group, labor pain and contraction duration decreased (Gholami et al., 2016 ).…”

“…It has been shown that in gonadectomized mice, chamomile extract improves estrogen-dependent sexual parameters including hair growth, temperature changes, and the menstrual cycle (Kesmati et al, 2006). Also, in a double-blinded clinical trial by Gholami et al (2016) on 80 post-term pregnant women with a gestational age of 40 weeks or more, it was found that after one week of taking chamomile extract-containing capsules, labor symptoms began to appear, and compared to the control group, labor pain and contraction duration decreased (Gholami et al, 2016).…”

Herbal Medicines—Are They Effective and Safe during Pregnancy?

“…However, a study by Zafar et al [ 63 ] found no significant difference in pain relief during labor between women using Chamomile and women receiving Pentazocine. An Iranian study analyzed the effectiveness of chamomile in inducing labor in women with a gestational age of 40 weeks or more, cephalic presentation, an absence of uterine contraction, as well as a cervical Bishop score of less than four [ 64 ]. Women in the study group received capsules with chamomile extract (500 mg) for 7 days (6 capsules a day).…”