| Background: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is characterized by painful cramps of the lower abdomen without
abnormal pelvic pathology. PD begins some hours before or simultaneously with the onset of menstrual
bleeding.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of separate and concurrent
supplementation of fish oils (FO) containing n-3 fatty acids and Rosa Damascena extract (RDE) on PD
symptoms.
Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial in 2015, through convenience sampling, 105 university students
with primary menstrual pain in most recent years, without abnormal pathology, and with moderate/severe
dysmenorrheal symptoms according to visual analog scale (VAS) were randomly assigned into one of four
groups: 1. FO 1000 mg/day (n=26), 2. RDE 1000 mg/day (n=27), 3. FO and RDE concurrently, with the
same dose (n=27), and 4. Control group (n=25). All measurements were performed three times, at the
beginning, 30th day, and 60th day. Symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, cramp, low back
pain, headache, fatigue, anxiety, sweat, weakness, dizziness, drowsiness, and feeling cold were measured by
VAS.
Results: After a 2-month treatment, supplementation with RDE significantly reduced the severity of bloating
(p<0.001) and sweat (p<0.001), but FO supplementation had no significant effect on PD symptoms. The
concurrent use of FO and RDE significantly decreased the severity of diarrhea (p=0.038), weakness (p<0.001),
dizziness (p=0.003), and feeling cold (p=0.049).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the concurrent supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids and RDE could
be more effective than their separate use in decreasing PD symptoms; however, larger trials are warranted to
confirm these preliminary findings. |