Vitamin E and fish oil, separately or in combination, on treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: a double-blind, randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most common complaints of women. The aim of this study was to investigate the adjuvant effect of vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, separately or in combination, supplements on pain in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. This clinical trial conducted on students of university. Qualified girls completed the VAS before randomization. Arrangement was determined according to the severity of the pain (mild 0–3; moderate 3.1–6; severe 6.1–10). One hundred patients were randomly assigned to four groups receiving omega-3 (n = 25), vitamin E (n = 25), vitamin E- omega-3 (n = 25), or placebo (n = 25). Three hundred milligrams of omega-3 capsules (180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA) and 200 international units (IU) vitamin E were administered daily. Severity of the pain measured in the beginning and the end of the study. Omega-3 and vitamin E supplements effectively relieved menstrual pain compared with the placebo. But in group with combination of vitamin E + omega-3 has a considerable effect on menstrual pain when compared with other groups (p < .05). Using of Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug has high complication; however, Fish oil and vitamin E are helpful in reducing of dysmenorrhea pain and can be replaced with them.

Chinese abstract

原发性痛经是女性最常见的主诉之一。本研究的目的是研究单独或联合补充维生素E和omega-3 脂肪酸对治疗原发性痛经疼痛的辅助作用。此临床试验受试人群为大学生。符合要求的女孩在随机化之前完成视觉模拟量表（VAS）。根据疼痛的严重程度进行排列（轻度0-3; 中度3.1-6; 严重6.1-10）。将100名患者随机分成四组, 分别为omega-3（n = 25）, 维生素E（n = 25）, 维生素E-omega-3（n = 25）或安慰剂（n = 25）。每天给予300毫克omega-3胶囊（180毫克EPA和120毫克DHA）和200国际单位（IU）维生素E。在研究开始和结束时测量疼痛的严重程度。与安慰剂组相比, Omega-3和维生素E补充剂有效缓解了月经疼痛。但维生素E-omega-3的联合使用对月经疼痛的减轻较其他组有显著影响（p <.05）。非甾体类抗炎药的使用具有较高的并发症；然而, 鱼油和维生素E有助于减轻痛经疼痛, 可以用它们代替。

Keywords:

• Primary dysmenorrhea
• vitamin E
• omega-3 fatty acids
• clinical trial

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by a Grant (Ajums.rec.1392.358) from Vice-Chancellor for Research Affairs of Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.