Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Compare the effect of flaxseed, evening primrose oil and Vitamin E on duration of periodic breast pain

Authors

. Farzaneh Jaafarnejad
. Elham Adibmoghaddam
. Seyyed Ahmad Emami 1
. Azadeh Saki 2

1 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast periodic pain is the most common disorder of the breast which leads to
consultation with knowledgeable people like a midwife. The aim of this study was to compare the
therapeutic effect of flaxseed, evening primrose oil, and Vitamin E on the duration of the period of
breast pain.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a quasi‑randomized clinical trial conducted in 2015 on
ninety patients complaining of breast periodic pain referring to Gynecologic Clinics of Ghaem Hospital
or residents living in dormitories of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Randomization was
conducted based on the study environment. The first group received 30 g of powdered flaxseed, the
second group received two 1000 mg capsules of evening primrose, and the third group received 1
capsule of 400 IU Vitamin E, daily and for two menstrual cycles. Cyclical breast pain was measured
at the beginning and end of both intervention periods by daily subscription form of pain duration. Data
analysis was performed by SPSS 16 software and Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Chi‑square, Friedman,
Fisher’s, and one‑sided ANOVA tests. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
RESULTS: The mean duration of breast pain in flaxseed group within 2 months of intervention
decreased significantly (confidence interval [CI] =95%, P = 0.006), but despite reducing the
duration of pain in evening primrose oil group (CI = 95%, P = 0.058) and Vitamin E (CI = 95%,
P = 0.306), this reduction was not significant. In overall, the average duration of breast pain in all
three flaxseed, evening primrose oil, and Vitamin E groups was not significantly different before
the intervention (CI = 95%, P = 0.286), 1 month after the intervention (CI = 95%, P = 0.195), and
2 months after the intervention (CI = 95%, P = 0.667).
CONCLUSION: The use of flaxseed, evening primrose oil, or Vitamin E may reduce breast pain,
and this is a significant reduction in flaxseed.

Keywords

Breast pain
evening primrose oil
flaxseed
Vitamin E
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 7, Issue 5
September and October 2017
Pages 1-6

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