EFFECTS OF FENUGREEK SEED ON THE SEVERITY OF DYSMENORRHEA

In view of the high prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and its undesirable consequences on the quality of life, and due to the anti-inflammatory properties of fenugreek, this study was carried out to examine the effect of fenugreek extract on primary dysmenorrhea. The double blind clinical controlled study was conducted on 101 students at Shahid Beheshti University. Students were randomly assigned to two groups who received fenugreek (n=51) or placebo (n=50). For the first 3 days of menstruation, 2−3 capsules containing fenugreek seed powder (900 mg) were given to the subjects three times daily for two consecutive menstrual cycles. Pain severity was evaluated using a visual analog scale and systemic symptoms were assessed using a multidimensional verbal scale. The severity of the symptoms in each group and between the two groups was analyzed, respectively, with the Friedman and the Man-Whitney tests. Pain severity at baseline did not differ significantly between the two groups. Pain severity was significantly reduced in both groups after the intervention; however, the fenugreek group experienced significantly larger pain reduction (p<0.001). With respect to the duration of pain, there was no meaningful difference between the two cycles in the placebo group (p=0.07) but in the fenugreek group, the duration of pain decreased between the two cycles (p<0.001). Systemic symptoms of dysmenorrhea (fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, lack of energy, syncope) decreased in the fenugreek seed group (p<0.05). No side effects were reported in the fenugreek group. These data suggest that prescription of fenugreek seed powder during menstruation can reduce the severity of dysmenorrhea; further studies are needed to compare fenugreek with anti-inflammatory medications.