Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2016, Pages 67–72
Special Issue onComplementary Medicine for Sexual and Reproductive Health
Abstract
Introduction
Menorrhagia
is a common condition occurring in almost 30% of women. This study was
conducted to compare the effects of mefenamic acid and quince on
menstrual bleeding and hemoglobin levels in women.
Materials and methods
This
triple-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 146
women with heavy menstrual bleeding residing in Tabriz, Iran.
Participants were divided into two groups through block randomization;
one group was treated with quince (n = 72) and the other with mefenamic acid (n = 74).
The quince group received a 250 mg dose of quince pill and the other
group received a 500 mg dose of mefenamic acid pill every 6 h from their
first day of menstruation to the fifth for three consecutive periods.
Participants completed the menorrhagia questionnaire before and three
months after the intervention and their hemoglobin levels were also
measured before and three months after the intervention.
Results
The
mean scores obtained on the menorrhagia scale and the mean hemoglobin
levels did not differ significantly between the two groups before the
intervention (P > 0.05). After the intervention, however,
the mean score obtained on the menorrhagia scale decreased significantly
in both groups while their hemoglobin levels increased. There were no
statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of
these variables (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
The
results of the study show that quince pill is equally effective in
reducing menstrual bleeding and increasing hemoglobin levels as
mefenamic acid. Quince pill thus appears to be an appropriate
alternative for mefenamic acid due to its fewer side effects.
Keywords
- Menorrhagia;
- Quince;
- Mefenamic acid;
- Hemoglobin;
- Randomised controlled trial
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
