The effects of Zinc Acetate capsule on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Introduction: Painful menstruation or primary dysmenorrhea is a common condition among women and is one of the causes of referring to obstetrics clinics. Although primary dysmenorrhea is not life threatening, but it has adverse effect on quality of life in young women and causes insufficiency in severe cases. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to evaluate the effect of zinc acetate capsule on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 78 students (18-25 years old) residing in dormitory of Falavarjan Azad Islamic University in 2014. The subjects were randomly assigned into zinc acetate or placebo group and completed the daily status recording form during 3 first day of mensturation. The experimental group received 30 mg of Zinc acetate capsule daily for two consecutive cycles. Data was collected by the questionnaire and as self-report. Data were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney tests by SPSS software (version 21). P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between two groups in terms of demographic variables and mean of pain intensity (P>0.05), but, pain intensity decreased in both groups after the intervention compared to before the intervention (P<0.001); this decrease was greater in the intervention group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Zinc acetate which is a non-pharmacologic complementary can decrease the pain intensity and can be used for treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. © 2016, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.