International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 12, Issue 7 (July 2025), Pages: 221-229

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 Original Research Paper

Assessment of non-pharmacological methods for puerperal women: A narrative review

 Author(s): 

 Afnan S. Aboyunis 1, *, Wafaa Rashad 2, Salmah A. Alghamdi 2

 Affiliation(s):

  1Rabigh General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  2Department of Maternity and Child Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8215-1717

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.07.022

 Abstract

During the postpartum period, many women experience perineal pain, often caused by perineal trauma such as tears or episiotomies. While pharmacological treatments like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics are commonly used, their use requires caution, especially in breastfeeding mothers. Non-pharmacological methods, such as herbal remedies, cold therapy, sitz baths, and heat therapy, are considered safer and are generally well accepted by mothers because they have fewer side effects. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the effectiveness of non-pharmacological methods in reducing perineal pain and promoting wound healing. A search was conducted in electronic databases, including CINAHL and PubMed, to identify relevant studies. After screening the results, twelve studies were selected. These included mostly randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and experimental studies conducted in various countries between 2021 and 2025. This review emphasizes the potential benefits of including non-pharmacological therapies in postpartum care to support recovery and reduce reliance on medications. The findings offer useful evidence on the safety and effectiveness of these methods in managing perineal pain.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Perineal pain, Postpartum care, Non-pharmacological methods, Wound healing, Breastfeeding safety

 Article history

 Received 28 December 2024, Received in revised form 24 May 2025, Accepted 27 June 2025

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Aboyunis AS, Rashad W, and Alghamdi SA (2025). Assessment of non-pharmacological methods for puerperal women: A narrative review. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(7): 221-229

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 Figures

  Fig. 1

 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2  Table 3  Table 4 

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