The effect of date consumption on the progress of labor in nulliparous women

Background and purpose:

Quran is the great and eternal miracle of the Prophet of Islam. In this Bible, Maryam is advised to eat dates during the birth of Christ according to the verses 23-27 of Surah Maryam. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of date palm usage on the consequences of delivery in nulliparous women.

Methods and Materials:

In this clinical trial, 80 healthy primigravida volunteer women were enrolled (40 subjects in each group) after studying and signing the consent form. They were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The data gathering tool comprised four main parts of the personal profile questionnaire, controls performed in the labor, fluid intake rate, and the pain intensity using a 0-10 cm ruler. Interventions in both groups were done during the active phase (4-7cm dilation) and continued until the start of the transition phase (8 cm dilation). Observations were done according to the national protocol of labor and physiological delivery.

The findings showed that the mean active phase of labor in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (p<0/01).

The consumption of date syrup reduced the duration of the active phase of the labor and led to the progression of delivery without any maternal and fetal complications.