Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Jul;33(3):160-2.
doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.42053.

A Comparison of Cabbage Leaves vs. Hot and Cold Compresses in the Treatment of Breast Engorgement

Smriti Arora  1 , Manju Vatsa, Vatsla Dadhwal
Affiliations

A Comparison of Cabbage Leaves vs. Hot and Cold Compresses in the Treatment of Breast Engorgement

Smriti Arora et al. Indian J Community Med. 2008 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To assess and compare the efficacy of cold cabbage leaves and hot and cold compresses in the treatment of breast engorgement.

Material and methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in the postnatal ward of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The study comprised a total of 60 mothers;30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. The control group received alternate hot and cold compresses and the experimental group received cold cabbage leaf treatment for relieving breast engorgement. The pre- and posttreatment scores of breast engorgement and pain were recorded. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods using the statistical software STRATA.

Results: Both the treatments, i.e., hot and cold compress and cabbage leaves were effective in decreasing breast engorgement and pain in postnatal mothers (P </= 0.001).Cold cabbage leaves and hot and cold compress were both equally effective in decreasing breast engorgement (P = 0.07), whereas hot and cold compresses were found to be more effective than cold cabbage leaves in relieving pain due to breast engorgement (P </= 0.001) in postnatal mothers.

Conclusion: Cold cabbage leaves as well as alternate hot and cold compresses both can be used in the treatment of breast engorgement. Hot and cold compresses are more effective in decreasing pain than cold cabbage leaves in relieving pan due to breast engorgement.

Keywords: Breast engorgement; hot and cold compress; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Woolridge M. Aetiology of sore nipples. Midwifery. 1986;2:172–6. - PubMed
    1. Hill PD, Humenick SS. The occurrence of breast engorgement. J Hum Lactation. 1994;10:79–86. - PubMed
    1. Snowden HM, Renfrew MJ, Woolridge MW. Treatments for breast engorgement during lactation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;2:CD000046. - PubMed
    1. Roberts KL, Reiter M, Schuster D. Effects of cabbage leaf extract on breast engorgement. J Hum Lactation. 1998;14:231–6. - PubMed