The Effect of Olive Oil and Honey Combination on Episiotomy Wound Healing and Pain Relief: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Episiotomy is one of the most common surgical procedures in the world that is associated with perineal pain and can be exposed to infection, or might be healed with delay. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of honey-olive oil combination on episiotomy wound healing and pain relief in primiparous women. Methods: This single-blind, parallel randomized clinical trial (IRCT20120215009014N208) was conducted on 80 primiparous women. They were allocated randomly to each of the groups through random allocation rule: 40 in honey-olive oil group and 40 in the control group. Every 12 hours and for 14 days, the treatment group used about 1 inch of the cream on the wound area. Pain intensity and wound healing were measured by REEDA Scale and Visual Analogue Scale on days 7, 10, and 14 in both groups. The statistical analyst was not informed about the allocation of the groups. A significant level of 0.05 was considered. Results: There was a significant difference between healing score and pain intensity between the two groups on 7th, 10th and 14th postpartum days (p <0.05). Wound healing occurred much faster (Scores on days 7,10, and 14 were 11.25±2.13, 7.47±1.96 and 4.95±1.53 in the control group and 4.45±1.25, 2.32±.69 and 10±.30 in the intervention group, p <0.05). Moreover, pain intensity was significantly relieved in those who used Honey and olive oil cream (the scores were 5.6750±1.43, 3.3500±1.52, 2.2250±1.34 in the control group and 1.9750±1.52, .2250±.57, .0250±.15 in the intervention group, p<0.05). Conclusion: Using honey and olive oil combination improves episiotomy wound healing and also relieves its’ associated pain.