Effect of Aloe vera and Calendula persica ointment on pain intensity of episiotomy in primiparous women

The pain resulting from episiotomy affects mother’s quality of life. Aloe vera and Calendula persica have been used for a long time to cure different diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Aloe vera and Calendula ointments on episiotomy incision’s pain intensity compared with that of hospital routine care (Betadine). This clinical trial was conducted from October to December, 2010 in Lolagar hospital in Tehran, Iran. 111 primiparous women, referred to the hospital for normal delivery, who were episiotomized, were selected using random allocation sampling method. After obtaining informed written consent and explaining the privacy of the research, subjects were assigned to one of the three groups of those who used Aloe vera ointment, those who used Calendula ointment and control group, before delivery. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire which included personal profile, demographic factors, and midwifery and neonatal factors. Data was analyzed using SPSS software 16 and ANOVA and chi-square tests. Mean pain intensity before intervention (p=0.850), four hours after intervention (p=0.622) and 8 hours after intervention (p= 0.107) did not reveal any significant difference in three groups. Mean pain intensity, five days after the episiotomy showed a significant difference. There was a significant difference between the number of sedatives taken in third, fourth and fifth days after delivery among three groups. Using Aloe vera and Calendula persica ointment significantly reduces the intensity of the pain resulting from episiotomy and the need to sedative.