The effect of Zizyphus Jujuba fruit lotion on improvement of nipple fissure pain in breastfeeding primipara women

Pain and nipple fissure are the most common problems during the lactating period, which can lead to an early stop of breastfeeding. Zizyphus Jujuba fruit is one of the oldest medical species, which contains anesthetic and anti-inflammatory compounds. This study aimed to determine the effect of Zizyphus Jujuba fruit lotion on soothing nipple pain.
This double-blind, clinical trial was performed on 100 primipara women with sore nipple in the gynecology clinic of Qaem Hospital of Kerman, Iran, in 2015. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of breast milk (n=50) and Zizyphus Jujuba fruit lotion (n=50). In one group, the breastfeeding women put 5 drops of their own milk on their nipples five times a day, and in the other group, the women put 0.5 ml of Zizyphus Jujuba fruit lotion on their nipples and areola five times a day after breastfeeding. The severity of pain was studied by using pain numerical scale before the intervention, on the third postpartum day, and after the intervention on the 7th and 14th postpartum days. To analyze the data, Friedman and Mann-Whitney tests were run, using SPSS version 22. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The severity of pain score between the two groups was not significantly different before the intervention. However, this amount indicated a significant difference between the two groups on the 7th and 14th days after the intervention (P=0.02, P=0.01, respectively).
It seems that Zizyphus Jujuba fruit lotion can lower sore nipple pain faster than breast milk, but more studies are required on this issue.