10/02/2025
In a pragmatic, school-based quasi-experimental trial of 40 adolescent girls with primary dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation without an identifiable cause), researchers compared a warm-compress protocol to lavender essential oil inhalation. Interventions were delivered on cycle days 1–2 when pain peaks: the warm compress was a hot-water bottle applied to the lower abdomen at for 15–20 minutes; the lavender group placed 3–4 drops on cotton and inhaled for approximately 15. Pain was assessed on a 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale before and after each session. Both groups improved within group, but the warm-compress group showed a clinically larger mean reduction than lavender inhalation, and the between-group difference favored heat therapy. Interpreted practically, gentle heat seems to relieve menstrual comfort better, but a combination approach could produce superior effects. It can also be inferred that a lavender EO castor oil pack using a hot water bottle could provide relief.
https://ojsstikesbanyuwangi.com/index.php/PHJ/article/view/1301
