Effect of oral sesame oil gelatin capsules on episiotomy pain in primiparous women: a triple-blind randomized controlled trial

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are common treatments to reduce episiotomy pain intensity. Due to the side effects of these drugs, the use of medicinal plants has gained attention. In addition to pain reduction, the fatty acids in sesame oil can increase the pain perception threshold and effectively reduce episiotomy pain intensity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sesame oil on episiotomy pain intensity in primiparous women. This three-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 88 primiparous women at Bent Al-Hadi Hospital in Bojnord, Iran. Participants were recruited from December 2022 to February 2024. Women meeting inclusion criteria, 2 h after vaginal delivery, received a sesame oil gelatin capsule or placebo every 6 h for 24 h. Episiotomy pain intensity was assessed before the first intervention and one hour after each dose using a visual pain scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software (version 25) with independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney, and chi-square tests. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Before the first intervention, the average episiotomy pain intensity score was 5.88 ± 1.13 in the sesame oil group and 5.80 ± 1.12 in the placebo group (P = 0.74).The average pain intensity score one hour after the first dose (P = 0.92) and the second dose (P = 0.64) showed no statistical significance. However, the average pain intensity score one hour after the third dose (P = 0.038) and fourth dose (P = 0.029) in the sesame oil group was significantly lower than the placebo group. Although at the start of the study and after the initial two doses, there was no significant difference between the group that received sesame oil and the group that received the placebo. However, with continued use and after the third and fourth doses, the reduction in pain within the group that took the sesame oil capsules was noticeably greater than in the placebo group. This finding y indicates that the analgesic effect of sesame oil may require time to accumulate in the body and become evident with prolonged use.