Comparison between Calendit-E cream and expressed breast milk in nipple pain treatment in breastfeeding women

Pain is a protective mechanism and it occurs when some tissues are damaged; thus, one is forced to remove the painful stimulus. Pain Intensity is closely related to the rate of tissue damage. The present research was carried out with aim of comparing the effects of Calendit- E cream and expressed breast milk in the treatment of nipple pain. This study was a single blind randomized clinical trial one in which 82 breastfeeding women aged over 18 yrs, who suffered from nipple pain, after obtaining written consent, were taken as subjects. They were randomly divided into two treatment groups; i.e. calendit-E cream and expressed breast milk groups. Both groups were instructed in the correct method of breastfeeding and using of cream or expressed breast milk and they were being treated for a week. The nipple pain scores were measured and recorded before treatment, and on the third and seventh days of the study. Data collection was done by means of a demographic questionnaire, pain assessment form, and an evaluation form of breastfeeding. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS software, t-test, and paired t-test at the significant level P<0.05. Reduction of severity of pain after treatment was significant in both groups (P<0.001), but a significant difference in the intensity of pain between the two groups on the third (P=0.8) and seventh (P=0.22) days of intervention was not observed. Calendit-E cream and expressed breast milk is both equally effective in reducing nipple pain.