Review looks into the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy on postpartum complications

In this study, researchers from Iran and the U.S. determined whether aromatherapy can improve symptoms commonly experienced by women postpartum. Their results were published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

• Aromatherapy is a popular method of reducing the symptoms of various physiologic processes and diseases.
• The researchers conducted a systematic review of previous studies collected from international databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus).
• They reviewed references for each study manually to ensure that relevant works were included.
• Of the 34 studies the researchers identified, 17 met their criteria. These included a total of 1,400 women who used a variety of aromatherapy.
• Results indicated that aromatherapy can improve common symptoms experienced by women during the postpartum period, such as depression, stress, pain, anxiety and fatigue.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that aromatherapy has therapeutic effects that can help women during the postpartum period. However, they also advised caution when using as safety concerns were not addressed in any of the studies.

Journal Reference:

Rezaie-Keikhaie K, Hastings-Tolsma M, Bouya S, Shad FS, Sari M, Shoorvazi M, Barani ZY, Balouchi A. EFFECT OF AROMATHERAPY ON POST-PARTUM COMPLICATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. May 2019;35:290–295. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.03.010