The effect of Saqez (Pistacia atlantica) ointment on the treatment of nipple fissure and nipple pain in breastfeeding women

BACKGROUND: Nipple fissure is a common problem in breastfeeding women, and the main reason for the early discontinuation of breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of Saqez (Pistacia atlantica) ointment on the treatment of nipple fissure and nipple pain in breastfeeding women. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 100 subjects admitted to the health centers in Tehran, Iran from mid-July to mid-November 2015. The subjects were randomly divided into two equal groups of 50 for the Saqez ointment group and the control group. The subjects were divided into the two groups through random allocation in Excel. The subjects were monitored on day 1, 3 and 7. Data were analyzed in SAS using the Cumulative Logit model and in SPSS-21 using Mann-Whitney, independent-samples t-test, the Chi square and Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of their demographic and fertility characteristics. The Cumulative Logit model showed that high levels of nipple fissure and pain were significantly less frequent in the Saqez group compared to the control group (p<0.001). There was about 83% reduction in the severity of fissure and 85 %in the severity of pain in the Saqez group compared to the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Saqez ointment is more effective in the treatment of nipple fissures and pain than breast milk. As this study was done for the first time, judgment about the conclusive efficacy of Saqez ointment on the nipple fissure, needs further similar studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT2015080723535N1. FUNDING: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.