Comparing the Effects of Hot Compress and Hot Ginger Compress on Pain Associated with Breast Engorgement

Breast engorgement (BE) is a physiologic condition in the postpartum period characterized by painful swelling of the breasts. BE‑associated pain is the second main cause of exclusive breastfeeding failure in the early weeks of childbirth.

This study aimed to compare the effects of hot compress and hot ginger compress on BE‑associated pain.

This randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2018 on 76 breastfeeding women with BE conveniently recruited from Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Participants were randomly allocated to a control group to receive hot compress (n = 38) and an intervention group to receive hot ginger compress (n = 38). Study intervention was implemented in both groups thrice daily for 2 consecutive days. A Visual Analog scale was used for the assessment of BE‑associated pain before and after the study intervention. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U, the independent‑samples t, the Wilcoxon, and the Chi‑square tests as well as the analysis of covariance.

The mean score of BE‑associated pain in the right and the left breasts significantly reduced by, respectively, 6.25 ± 1.76 and 6.06 ± 1.76 points in the intervention group (P < 0.05) and by 3.21 ± 1.02 and 3.48 ± 1.21 points in the control group (P > 0.05). The decreases in the mean scores of the right and the left BE‑associated pain in the intervention group were significantly greater than the control group (P < 0.05).

Hot ginger compress is more effective than hot compress in reducing BE‑associated pain among breastfeeding women.