Comparing analgesic effects of extra virgin olive oil and Ibuprofen on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea: A crossover clinical trial

Primary dysmenorrhea is a common problem among women in the child-bearing age. This study was designed to compare the analgesic effects of extra virgin olive oil and Ibuprofen in primary dysmenorrhea. In a crossover randomized controlled trial (IRCT2013051110804N2), 60 university girl students (17-30 years old) in Boroojerd Islamic Azad University dormitory with the diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea were enrolled based the CONSORT guidelines and divided randomly into 2 groups receiving either extra virgin olive oil (Group 1) or Ibuprofen (Group 2). Screening for primary dysmenorrhea was done by a visual analog scale. The participants were followed up for 4 menstruation cycles. The subjects in Group 1 took 25 cc of extra virgin olive oil daily for 2 months (starting two weeks before the start of the menstruation cycle) and completed a questionnaire containing items on pain visual analogue scale for two consecutive cycles. After a 4-week washout period they received 400 mg Ibuprofen three times a day in the first 3 days of menstruation. Group 2 was treated basically similarly, except that they received Ibuprofen during the first cycle and extra virgin olive oil during the second cycle. A self-reported checklist was used to collect information on menstruation. Data were analyzed using the Student's t-test and the linear mixed method model (SPSS 16). Although before the intervention, both groups were similar (P > 0.05) in terms of demographic variables and the outcome measures, the results showed that there were significant differences in the severity of pain during the pre- and post-treatment periods between the Ibuprofen and extra virgin oil groups (P=0.001). In addition, the severity of pain was less in the extra virgin olive oil as compared to the Ibuprofen group. Extra virgin olive oil is effective in treating primary dysmenorrhea and it seems that it can be used as a substitute for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.