The effects of omega-3 and vitamin E on the treatment of primary dysmenorrheal: A randomized double-blind clinical trial

Primary dysmenorrheal is one of the most common gynecologic diseases. This study was carried out to compare the effects of omega-3 and vitamin E on the treatment of primary dysmenorrheal. In a randomized double-blind clinical trial, 80 female students from high schools in Arak, Iran, were selected by simple sampling and randomly divided into two identical groups in 2010. Omega-3 group received one omega-3 capsule (500 mg) per day while the vitamin E group received one vitamin E capsule (400IU) every other day for 60 days. Intensity of pain, duration of pain, and the number of painkillers taken before and after intervention were measured in both groups. Intensity of pain was assessed by VAS scale of pain. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. After intervention, the mean of pain intensity in the omega-3 group decreased to 3.5 which indicated a significant difference in comparison with the corresponding values before intervention (7.40) (p<0.05) and the values in the vitamin E group (5.25) (p<0.05). After intervention, the mean duration of pain in the omega-3 group reached 11.04 hours which showed a significant difference compared with the corresponding values before intervention (31.74) (p<0.05) and the values in the vitamin E group (34.81) (p<0.05). Omega-3 is more effective than vitamin E in the treatment of primary dysmenorrheal and its application as a new therapeutic method to the treatment of primary dysmenorrheal requires further studies