The effect of Plantago oral syrup on hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in women with normal postpartum hemorrhage

Abstract

Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage is one of the major causes of maternal mortality, especially in the developing countries. Some studies have shown the positive effects of Plantago on postpartum hemorrhage. We conducted this study to determine the effects of Plantago syrup on postpartum hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in low-risk women in terms of postpartum hemorrhage. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, clinical trial was carried out on all the women who had gone through normal vaginal delivery in Ganjavian Maternity Clinic of Dezful, Iran, in 2017. The participants were randomly assigned to intervention and placebo group (n=50 per group). Immediately after placental expulsion, the intervention group received 100 cc of Plantago extract 20% and infusion of 20 U of oxytocin in 1 L of Ringer’s solution, and the control group was given 100 cc of placebo syrup and infusion of 20 U of oxytocin in 1 L of Ringer’s solution. Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were measured in all the participants 6 h postpartum. To analyze the data, independent t-test, Fischer’s Exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kendall rank correlation coefficient, Chi-squared test, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were run in SPSS, version 17. Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of hemoglobin and hematocrit reduction. Before the intervention, the mean levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit in the intervention group were 12.60±3.8 g/dl and 36.69±3.3%, respectively, and in the control group, they were 12.25±1.1 g/dl and 38.06±3.4%, respectively (P>0.005). After the intervention, the mean reduction in hemoglobin level in the intervention and control groups was 1.17±0.4 and 2.19±0.6 g/dl, respectively (P=0.001). Conclusion: Oral Plantago syrup played a significant role in lowering the mean reduction in hemoglobin and hematocrit levels after delivery. The use of this syrup could help prevent the complications of postpartum anemia.