Anxiety and depression of women in the postpartum period: A narrative review of the effects of fenugreek

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 MSc of Midwifery, Dept. of Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Operating Room, Evidence-Based Health Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22038/nnj.2025.83290.1463

Abstract

Background and Aims: During the postpartum period, more than 50% of mothers suffer from anxiety and more than two-thirds of them suffer from depression. Considering the side effects and risks of chemical drugs in the postpartum period and the desire of women to use complementary and herbal medicine and also due to the adverse consequences of anxiety and depression in the postpartum period, the present review study aims to investigate the effects Fenugreek was performed on anxiety and depression of primiparous women in the postpartum period.
Materials and Methods: In this study, documents to October 2024, were searched using the keywords postpartum period, anxiety, depression, medicinal plants, complementary medicine and fenugreek alone or in combination in databases such as Web of Science, Pub Med, Scopus, SID and Google Scholar. The documents were summarized and critically reviewed.
Results: Fenugreek contains several bioactive components such as Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Phenols, Saponin, Diosgenin, Carpaine, Gentianin,Trigonelline, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, Arginine and Nicotinic acid, which has made this plant known as an anti-anxiety and anti-depressant.
Conclusion: According to the current review, fenugreek can reduce anxiety and depression of primiparous women in the postpartum period. However, more clinical studies are needed to confirm the positive effects of fenugreek.

Keywords

References

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Navid No
Volume 28, Issue 93
June 2025
Pages 57-67

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