Effectiveness of Essential Oil Massage on the Quality of Life and Pain in Women with Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea influences the quality of life (QOL) of many women. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of essential oil massage on the QOL in women with dysmenorrhea. An experimental research design was adopted. Seventy-five participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups in QOL before and after oil massage. The Visual Analogue Scale score was reduced after oil massage in both groups; there was a negative relationship between pain level and QOL in the physical and psychological domains in the control group pain level and QOL in the social domain in the experimental group had a negative relationship. Therefore, even though the results of the study were not significant, the findings suggest that massage with essential oil does have some impact on pain related to dysmenorrhea.