Comparison of the effect of natural products and breast milk for preventing and treating nipple trauma and pain in lactating women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Prevention and management of nipple problems are crucial during the postpartum period for effective breastfeeding. Breastmilk is the most commonly recommended method for lactating women. However, insufficient studies have proven its superiority over other methods in the current literature. This study aims to determine the effects of natural products compared to breast milk in preventing and treating nipple trauma and pain in lactating women.

Methods

In this review, we investigated studies from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases that met the inclusion criteria. We also assessed the studies' methodological quality with the Cochrane and JBI checklists. This study was performed based on the Guidelines of Systematic Reporting of Examination presented in the PRISMA checklist. The search protocol has been registered at the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.

Results

A total of ten published studies, including 1139 lactating women, were included in this review. The meta-analysis results showed a significant effect of natural product intervention on nipple trauma (Hedge's g -0.702, Q = 81,154, I² =91,374 %, p < 0.001), soreness (Hedge's g =-0.648, Q = 7,092, I² =71,801 %, p < 0.001), and pain levels (Hedge's g =-0.613, Q = 25,058, I² =76,056 %, p < 0.001) experienced by lactating women.

Conclusion

The findings showed that natural products have greater potential than breast milk in managing nipple pain, trauma, and soreness. However, the evidence for these interventions is low or very low quality. Further research is needed to determine the most effective treatment for nipple trauma in lactating women.