The Effect of Melissa Officinalis on Postpartum Blues in Women Undergoing Cesarean Section

Background & aim: Postpartum blues is the most common postpartum mood disorder, which can turn into a chronic depression.. Therefore, the prevention of this disorder is effective for the improvement of family mental health. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Melissa officinalis(Lemon balm) on the incidence of postpartum blues. Methods: The present triple-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 60 women with cesarean section(C- section)at teaching hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, in 2016-2017. The participants were randomly divided into case and placebo groups. The case group was administered lemon balm capsules (500 mg) from the first day after cesarean section three times a day for 10 days. Edinburgh postnatal depression scale was completed by all subjects at three stages, namely on the 3rd-5th,10th, and 14th days after C-section. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16) using independent t-test, as well as Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, Fisher s exact tests and Friedman test. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The Fisher s exact test showed that the incidence rates of postpartum blues on the 3rd-5th , 10th, and 14th days after C-section were 3.3% and 43.3% (P<0.00), 3.3% and 50% (P<0.00), and 0% and 33.3%  (P<0.00) in the case and placebo groups, respectively. The results of the two-way ANOVA test revealed that the depression score increased with maternal age due to the intervention (P=0.046). Conclusion: The present study showed that the use of lemon balm could reduce the incidence rate of postpartum blues, which is one of the most common postpartum psychiatric disorders, without the development of possible side effects. Therefore, it is recommended to use it especially in susceptible women after their delivery.

Keywords:

Melissa officinalis , Postpartum Blues , Cesarean section