Effectiveness of Aromatherapy Treatment in Alleviating Fatigue and Promoting Relaxation of Mothers during the Early Postpartum Period

A postpartum (or postnatal) period begins immediately after the birth of a child and extends for about six weeks, as the mother’s body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state. Fatigue and lack of energy have been accepted as common effects of childbirth in the postpartum period, with fatigue causing mothers to experience negative feelings and become uncomfortable. Some studies have shown that fatigue in the early postpartum period is significantly related to and is a predictor of postpartum depression. Therefore, to reduce the risk of maternity blues, it is important for early postpartum mothers to have relaxing experiences and fatigue reduction so that they can take care of their child with peace of mind.

In this study, the authors aimed to determine the effectiveness of aroma hand treatment in alleviating fatigue and promoting relaxation of mothers in their early postpartum period. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with a two-group pretest-post-test design which used purposive sampling and non-random assignment of 242 consenting Japanese early postpartum mothers who were patients from a hospital maternity unit in Tokyo, Japan. The intervention involved a 20-minute aroma hand treatment using an effleurage method. The participants selected from 5 essential oils: pure lavender, ylang-ylang, citron, rosewood, and sweet orange. Relaxation promotion and fatigue alleviation as the main outcomes were measured using self-administered valid and reliable questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-sample t-test, two-way factorial ANOVA, and simple main effect test. SPSS ver. 23.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis at a 5% significance level. 

Of 242 participants (intervention group, n = 122; comparison group, n = 120), 229 participants (intervention group, n = 115; comparison group, n = 114) were analyzed per protocol. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in relaxation (t = 6.43, p < 0.001). A significant difference in the simple main effect test of relaxation (F = 37.58, p < 0.001) was found. However, there was no significant reduction in fatigue. The majority (88.4%) of the participants indicated high satisfaction with the aroma hand treatment, and 90.5% evaluated the length of intervention time as appropriate. 

In conclusion, the aroma hand treatment effectively promoted relaxation of early postpartum mothers, but was less effective in alleviating their fatigue. Based on their high satisfaction rate, aroma hand treatment using essential oils may be considered effective in promoting relaxation of early postpartum mothers. Further points for improvement included the proper use of essential oils to avoid aroma shortage and the correct choice of the essential oil to relieve particular symptoms.

Article by Kyoko Asazawa, et al, from Japan.

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