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Obstetrics & Gynecology Science Jan 2021Dysmenorrhea is one of the well-established problems among women of reproductive age and can have adverse effects on the quality of life of the individual. Some studies...
Dysmenorrhea is one of the well-established problems among women of reproductive age and can have adverse effects on the quality of life of the individual. Some studies suggest a relationship between vitamin D (Vit D) and calcium deficiency and the emergence of early dysmenorrhea. Accordingly, a systematic study was performed to investigate the role of calcium and Vit D in the relief of primary dysmenorrhea. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for papers published between 2010 and 2020. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklists were used to assess the quality of the studies. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. Low calcium levels lead to an increase in uterine muscle contraction and can cause pain after decreased uterine blood flow. Furthermore, low levels of Vit D can increase primary dysmenorrhea by increasing prostaglandin production or reducing intestinal calcium absorption. That being the case, Vit D and calcium intake can be effective in reducing the severity of primary dysmenorrhea and in reducing the rate of analgesic use. Low levels of Vit D and calcium are inversely related to the severity of primary dysmenorrhea, and Vit D and calcium intake can reduce the severity of primary dysmenorrhea and its associated systemic symptoms. Therefore, the use of calcium and Vit D supplements can be recommended to relieve dysmenorrhea.
PubMed: 33406811
DOI: 10.5468/ogs.20205 -
Current Nutrition Reports Dec 2022This study was conducted to determine the effects of antioxidant supplementation on endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and dyspareunia. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This study was conducted to determine the effects of antioxidant supplementation on endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and dyspareunia.
METHODS
PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases and the Google Scholar search engine were searched from early 2012 to 2022 using appropriate keywords for clinical trials receiving antioxidant supplements and reporting endometriosis-related pelvic pain (PROSPERO registration number CRD42022318924). The qualities of the included studies were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklists Critical Appraisal Tools and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool for before-after (Pre-Post) study with no control group. This systematic review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline.
RESULTS
In this systematic review, 8 studies (5 RCTs and 3 non-comparative trials) published in 2012-2022 were included.
CONCLUSIONS
The studies we included showed promising results in the use of antioxidants in endometriosis-related pain. However, many scientific studies are needed for clear statements.
Topics: Female; Humans; Antioxidants; Dietary Supplements; Dysmenorrhea; Endometriosis; Pelvic Pain; United States
PubMed: 35948825
DOI: 10.1007/s13668-022-00432-1 -
Ginekologia Polska Oct 2023Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 10% of women. It is defined as endometrial tissue outside of the uterus and produces a variety of...
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 10% of women. It is defined as endometrial tissue outside of the uterus and produces a variety of symptoms including pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and intermenstrual bleeding. Although several theories have been postulated regarding the pathogenesis of endometriosis, no theory has provided a complete explanation, therefore limiting our progress in diagnostic tools and management of endometriosis. Recently, much attention has been paid to the importance and role of the gut microbiome in endometriosis. As defined by Joshua Lederberg - microbiome is a set of the genome of microorganisms inhabiting a human body, including commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this systematic review was to conduct a search in the Embase, Medline, and PubMed databases for literature from July 2013 to July 2023 regarding the relationship between the gut microbiome and endometriosis. 147 records were screened, of which 26 met the eligibility criteria, and 16 were included in this review. Our review concludes that patients with endometriosis show an altered gut microbiome, and that this has the potential to provide insight for pathogenesis, markers for diagnosis, as well as therapeutic options for treatment of endometriosis. Future research is necessary to confirm this and further investigate the relationship between the gut microbiome and endometriosis.
PubMed: 37772919
DOI: 10.5603/gpl.97581 -
Journal of Pain Research 2024This research aimed to assess the effectiveness of manual therapy in alleviating pain among women undergoing primary dysmenorrhea (PD). (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
This research aimed to assess the effectiveness of manual therapy in alleviating pain among women undergoing primary dysmenorrhea (PD).
METHODS
All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding manual therapy for PD were searched from online databases, spanning from their inception to July 2023. The identified literature underwent a thorough screening process, and the data were meticulously extracted and analyzed using RevMan 5.3. Subsequently, the included studies underwent Cochrane's quality assessment and meta-analysis. The evidence obtained was then assessed using the grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach.
RESULTS
32 RCTs, involving 2566 women were finally included for analysis. The overall quality of the concluding evidence was generally rated as low or very low. Performance bias and blind bias were found to be the main risk of bias of the included studies. In comparison to no treatment, manual therapy demonstrated a significant increase in pain relief in short-term (n=191, MD=1.30, 95% CI: 0.24~2.37). The differences in the effects of manual therapy and the placebo on pain intensity may not be statistically significant (n=255, MD=0.10, 95% CI: -0.37~0.58). In contrast to NSAIDs, manual therapy exhibited superior pain alleviation (n=507, MD=3.01, 95% CI: 1.08~4.94) and a higher effective rate (n=1029, OR=4.87, 95% CI: 3.29~7.20). Importantly, no severe adverse events were reported across all studies, indicating a relatively safe profile for manual therapy.
CONCLUSION
Manual therapy presented promise in effectively relieving menstrual pain with minimal adverse events in short term, outperforming both no treatment and NSAIDs. However, this conclusion is tempered by the low quality of the included RCTs, highlighting the necessity for more robust trials to validate it.
PubMed: 38736680
DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S457381 -
Cureus Mar 2021It has been evidenced that very few systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of ginger for pain duration and its severity among women with primary...
It has been evidenced that very few systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of ginger for pain duration and its severity among women with primary dysmenorrhea. This meta-analysis was therefore performed to methodically incorporate and significantly evaluate randomized controlled ginger studies for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. The literature was searched using PubMed, Embase, Ovid, ClinicalKey, Medline, and electronic database. We have analyzed clinical trials by comparing ginger with placebo and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in women with primary dysmenorrhea. The primary outcomes assessed in our meta-analysis were pain severity and pain duration. Secondary outcomes were change in bleeding, side effects of the drug, and rate of satisfaction. We have screened a total of 638 studies, out of which narrative synthesis was formulated for eight studies. We have performed a meta-analysis of five trials examining ginger with placebo and other two randomized controlled trials comparing ginger with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID); it seems to be more helpful for relieving menstrual pain than a placebo (mean difference [MD] = 2.67, 95% CI = 3.51-1.84, P = 0.0001, I2 = 86%), although it was found that ginger and NSAIDs were equally effective in pain severity (risk ratios [RR] = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.53-2.52, P = 0.72, I2 =77%). We have not observed any significant difference between ginger and placebo on pain duration among primary dysmenorrheic women (MD = -2.22, 95% CI = -7.62-3.18, P = 0.42, I2= 56%). Accessible information proposes that oral ginger can be a compelling treatment for primary dysmenorrhea. This meta-analysis strongly supports the requirement for high methodological quality consistency for upcoming trials.
PubMed: 33842121
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.13743 -
Obstetrics and Gynecology Oct 2023We use the person-centered Pathway to Treatment framework to assess the scope of evidence on disparities in endometrial cancer stage at diagnosis. This report is... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
We use the person-centered Pathway to Treatment framework to assess the scope of evidence on disparities in endometrial cancer stage at diagnosis. This report is intended to facilitate interventions, research, and advocacy that reduce disparities.
DATA SOURCES
We completed a structured search of electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Included studies were published between January 2000 and 2023 and addressed marginalized population(s) in the United States with the ability to develop endometrial cancer and addressed variable(s) outlined in the Pathway to Treatment.
METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION
Our database search strategy was designed for sensitivity to identify studies on disparate prolongation of the Pathway to Treatment for endometrial cancer, tallying 2,171. Inclusion criteria were broad, yet only 24 studies addressed this issue. All articles were independently screened by two reviewers.
TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS
Twenty-four studies were included: 10 on symptom appraisal, five on help seeking, five on diagnosis, and 10 on pretreatment intervals. Quality rankings were heterogeneous, between 3 and 9 (median 7.2) per the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We identified three qualitative, two participatory, and two intervention studies. Studies on help seeking predominantly investigate patient-driven delays. When disease factors were controlled for, delays of the pretreatment interval were independently associated with racism toward Black and Hispanic people, less education, lower socioeconomic status, and nonprivate insurance.
CONCLUSIONS
Evidence gaps on disparities in timeliness of endometrial cancer care reveal emphasis of patient-driven help-seeking delays, reliance on health care-derived databases, underutilization of participatory methods, and a paucity of intervention studies.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
Given that PROSPERO was not accepting systematic scoping review protocols at the time this study began, this study protocol was shared a priori through Open Science Framework on January 13, 2021 (doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/V2ZXY), and through peer review publication on April 13, 2021 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01649-x).
Topics: Female; Humans; Black People; Databases, Factual; Educational Status; Endometrial Neoplasms; Health Facilities; Healthcare Disparities; Time Factors; Time-to-Treatment; Hispanic or Latino; Social Determinants of Health
PubMed: 37734095
DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005338 -
Physical Therapy May 2024The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of electrotherapy and manual therapy for the treatment of women with primary dysmenorrhea. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of electrotherapy and manual therapy for the treatment of women with primary dysmenorrhea.
METHODS
Systematic searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. The articles must have been published in the last 10 years, had a sample exclusively of women with primary dysmenorrhea, had a randomized controlled trial design, and used interventions that included some form of manual therapy and/or electrotherapy techniques. Two reviewers independently screened articles for eligibility and extracted data. Difference in mean differences and their 95% CIs were calculated as the between-group difference in means divided by the pooled standard deviation. The I2 statistic was used to determine the degree of heterogeneity.
RESULTS
Twelve selected studies evaluated interventions, with 5 evaluating electrotherapy techniques and 7 evaluating manual therapy techniques. All studies analyzed identified improvements in pain intensity and meta-analysis confirmed their strong effect.
CONCLUSIONS
Manual therapy and electrotherapy are effective for the treatment of women with primary dysmenorrhea. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation combined with thermotherapy and effleurage massage stands out for its effects on the intensity and duration of pain with the application of a few sessions and their long-term effects.
IMPACT
Manual therapy techniques and electrotherapy methods reduce the pain intensity of women with primary dysmenorrhea. Quality of life and degree of anxiety improved significantly with manual therapy interventions. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation combined with thermotherapy and effleurage massage are the interventions with which positive effects were achieved with fewer sessions.
Topics: Humans; Dysmenorrhea; Female; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Massage; Pain Measurement; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
PubMed: 38366860
DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzae019 -
Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health Jul 2018Primary dysmenorrhea is a prevalent condition causing quality of life (QOL) reduction for many women, resulting from pain as well as parallel social and psychological...
INTRODUCTION
Primary dysmenorrhea is a prevalent condition causing quality of life (QOL) reduction for many women, resulting from pain as well as parallel social and psychological distress. Yoga reduces pain and sympathetic reactivity, thus promoting QOL. This article reports a systematic review of the evidence for the effectiveness of yoga as a QOL improvement method for women with primary dysmenorrhea.
METHODS
The PRISMA guidelines were used in preparation of this review. Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were screened through January 2017 using the keywords yoga, meditation, menstrual cycle, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and prostaglandins. English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies regarding yoga, primary dysmenorrhea, and QOL were eligible; all yoga styles were included. Two independent reviewers rated the methodological quality of each study selected for review using the Downs and Black checklist; possible scores ranged from 0 to 32. Ratings were established through consensus.
RESULTS
The search yielded a total of 378 articles, of which 14 (age range 13-45 years, N = 1409) met the criteria for final review: 8 RCTs and 6 quasi-experimental studies. Downs and Black ratings were predominantly moderate in quality with moderate risk of bias, ranging from 15 to 23 (RCTs) and 10 to 17 (quasi-experimental studies). Statistically significant improvements along most QOL domains, including physical pain, sleep, concentration, negative feelings, social relationships, work capacity, and overall QOL, were identified after a yoga intervention. Results indicate preliminary evidence for yoga as a safe and effective QOL improvement method for women with primary dysmenorrhea.
DISCUSSION
Practitioners may consider yoga for management of primary dysmenorrhea. However, future research using larger RCTs of high methodological quality is needed to ascertain the magnitude of yoga's clinical significance.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Anxiety; Attention; Depression; Dysmenorrhea; Female; Humans; Meditation; Pain; Quality of Life; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders; Stress, Psychological; Yoga
PubMed: 29902363
DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.12729 -
Journal of Integrative and... Jul 2022Despite substantial progress made in the field of acupuncture research, the existence and specificity of acupoints remain controversial. In recent years, the concept of... (Review)
Review
Despite substantial progress made in the field of acupuncture research, the existence and specificity of acupoints remain controversial. In recent years, the concept of acupoint sensitization has emerged as a theoretical framework for understanding acupoints as dynamic functional entities that are sensitized in pathological conditions. Based on this premise, some have claimed that specific acupoints are thermally distinct between healthy and clinical populations, but no systematic review has been conducted to synthesize and evaluate the quality of studies supporting such claims. In this review, we provide a summary and quality assessment of the existing literature addressing the question of whether changes in skin temperature at specific acupoints are indicative of pathological conditions. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and AltHealthWatch (EBSCO Host), by combining variations of search terms relevant to acupoints and temperature. The search was limited to the English language, and publication dates ranged from database inception to December 2020. Two authors independently screened all resulting abstracts and subsequently read full-text articles for eligibility. Information on study design, sample, acupoints, parameters of skin temperature assessments, and main findings were extracted from included studies. Quality of the thermal sensing methodology was evaluated using a thermal assessment checklist, adapted from the Thermographic Imaging in Sports and Exercise Medicine (TISEM) consensus checklist, and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for case-control studies. The search strategy yielded a total of 1771 studies, of which 10 articles met the eligibility criteria. Eight studies compared skin temperature at acupoints in healthy versus clinical populations, and two studies assessed within-subject changes in temperature of acupoints in relation to changes in health status. There were seven clinical conditions examined in the included studies: chronic bronchial asthma, chronic hepatitis, hyperplasia of mammary glands, infertility, intracranial hypertension, obesity, and primary dysmenorrhea. There were numerous methodological quality issues related to skin temperature measurements. Eight studies with case-control designs reported significant differences between healthy and clinical populations in temperature at certain acupoints. Two studies with pre-post designs reported that changes in health-disease status could be associated with changes in temperature at specific acupoints. A review of the available literature suggests that certain acupoints may be thermally distinct between healthy and unhealthy states. However, given the methodological limitations and heterogeneity across included studies, no definitive conclusion could be drawn as to whether changes in skin temperature at specific acupoints are indicative of pathological conditions.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Infertility; Skin Temperature
PubMed: 35475679
DOI: 10.1089/jicm.2021.0437 -
Journal of Complementary & Integrative... Jan 2021One of the most common complaints for women is dysmenorrhea. Several studies investigated the treatment effects of medicinal plants on primary dysmenorrhea. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
One of the most common complaints for women is dysmenorrhea. Several studies investigated the treatment effects of medicinal plants on primary dysmenorrhea.
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effect of (Fennel) on pain in primary dysmenorrhea in comparison to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as mefenamic acid.
METHODS
PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Science Direct, ProQuest, ISI Web of Science, Google Scholar, Magiran, SID, Iran Medex, and Irandoc were searched up to January 2019. Quality assessment of clinical trials was conducted using Jadad scoring system. Totally, 12 studies were entered in the meta-analysis. was calculated to determine heterogeneity. Fixed effects and/or random effects models were applied.
RESULTS
Meta-analysis of these trials showed that intake decreased significantly the intensity of dysmenorrhea compared to the placebo (SMD -0.632; CI: -0.827 to -0.436; p<0.001; heterogeneity p=0.807; =0%; fixed effect model; seven articles). However, the effect of Mefenamic acid with was not different from each other (SMD=-0.214; CI: -0.446 to 0.017; p=0.07; heterogeneity p=0.58; =0%; fixed effect model; six trials).
CONCLUSION
The alleviates dysmenorrhea. Regarding the same effect of with NSAIDs, it is highly recommend to the women suffered from dysmenorrhea specifically the ones who have high tendency toward herbal medicine.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Dysmenorrhea; Female; Foeniculum; Humans; Mefenamic Acid; Phytotherapy; Plant Preparations
PubMed: 34187122
DOI: 10.1515/jcim-2019-0212