Comparison of the effect of vitamin E, vitamin D and ginger on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea: a single-blind clinical trial
Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2019 Nov;62(6):462-468. https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2019.62.6.462
Vitamin D would probably have been much BETTER than Ginger if the study had used more vitamin D (say 4,000 IU daily) and/or a loading dose (400,000 IU)
- Menstrual Pain (PMS) reduced by vitamin D – RCT 2012, 2014, 2016
- Endometriosis treated, and perhaps prevented, by vitamin D - many studies
- The most common cause of secondary dysmenorrhea is Endometriosis
- Contains: Endometriosis? 4 Herbs & Supplements That Can Really Help March 2018
- "Ginger root powder ... 500 mg 2-4 times/day has been shown to reduce pain equal to the effects of ibuprofen"
- Fibromyalgia treated with Vitamin D (50,000 IU weekly for 3 months) – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Overview Pain and Vitamin D
Hamideh Pakniat,1 Venus Chegini,1 Fatemeh Ranjkesh,2 and Mohammad Ali Hosseini3
- 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kowsar Hospital, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
- 2 Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
- 3 Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Objective
Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common problems for women, especially during their reproductive age. Various studies have examined the effects of vitamins D and E and ginger supplements. This study aimed to investigate the individual effects of each of these supplements on dysmenorrhea.
Methods
This single-blind clinical trial was conducted in 2016 on students aged 18 to 25 years who complained of mild to severe dysmenorrhea. The participants were randomly assigned into 4 groups: vitamin D, vitamin E, ginger, and placebo. The effects of the supplements on the severity of dysmenorrhea were evaluated in 2 successive cycles using the visual analog scale (VAS) and a questionnaire.
Results
Initially, 240 female students were enrolled in the study; thereafter, 40 students were excluded from the study owing to follow-up loss. The average VAS score for dysmenorrhea in the entire study population was 7.13±0.80 before the intervention; the mean VAS score after the first and second months of supplement use was 5.37±1.51 and 4.93±1.48, respectively. The highest reduction in pain severity was observed in the ginger group (F=74.54, P<0.001).
Conclusion
Vitamin D, vitamin E, and ginger significantly reduced the severity of dysmenorrhea, with ginger having the most significant effect followed by vitamin D and vitamin E. Given the low risk of these supplements, more studies must be conducted on their use as opposed to analgesics.
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