The Comparison of Vitamin E and Fennel Extract Effects on Duration of Pain in Primary Dysmenorrheal

Primary dysmenorrheal is described as pelvic pain during menstrual bleeding in the absence of an identifiable pathologic lesion. It is a common gynecologic problem among women in reproductive age groups. Our objective was to compare the effect of vitamin E and Fennel extract on primary dysmenorrheal. In this randomized single blind, placebo-controlled trial, 65 single female students who suffered from primary dysmenorrheal were randomly assigned into 3 groups of Fennel extract, vitamin E and placebo. Groups used treatment four times a day from the onset of bleeding and continued through three days for two consecutive menstrual periods. The vitamin E group took 100 unit capsules and Fennel extract group took 46 mg capsules with commercial name of Finagling. In the Fennel extract group, one month and two months after treatment, mean of pain duration significantly reduced compared to before treatment (P<0.001) but in the vitamin E group, the pain duration mean decreased only two months after treatment (P<0.02). The comparison of the first cycle means of pain duration, shows a significant difference between the three groups (P=0.033). The results show that fennel extract is more effective than vitamin E in reducing the duration of pain in primary dysmenorrhea.