Evening primrose oil has a history of use in alternative and traditional medicine for women’s health issues from premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, to breast tenderness and pregnancy complications. Unfortunately, no scientific evidence exists to support its effectiveness or a safe dose for pregnant women. Evening primrose oil has been linked to a higher risk of labor complications, although data on this effect are also preliminary.
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose oil, or EPO, is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose flower. It is rich in the omega-6 essential fatty acids linoleic acid, or LA, and gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, which are essential to human health but not manufactured in the body. Frequently used to soothe itchy skin conditions like eczema and rashes, EPO has also been studied for its effects on PMS, breast pain and pregnancy-induced hypertension, or preeclampsia.
Breast Pain
In the United Kingdom, EPO is licensed as a treatment for PMS-related breast pain and tenderness, or mastalgia. A typical dose for this purpose is 3 to 4 grams daily. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that while some studies have shown EPO to be a useful treatment for this common condition, others have shown no relationship. Pregnancy is another common cause of breast tenderness, but there is little evidence for EPO’s effectiveness or safety for treatment of mastalgia during pregnancy.
EPO and Pregnancy
Some midwives recommend taking evening primrose oil supplements during pregnancy to help soften the cervix and decrease labor length. Evidence for this use is conflicting. One study published in the May-June 1999 “Journal of Nurse-Midwifery” notes that for 54 women, EPO did not shorten gestation or labor, and may even have been associated with an increase in labor complications and interventions like vacuum extraction. A 2008 report of current studies on EPO and pregnancy in “American Family Physician” cautions that clinical evidence for EPO in the prevention of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications is inconsistent and recommends that pregnant women avoid taking EPO.
Dose
Since there is insufficient evidence for the safety and efficacy of EPO use in pregnancy, there is no standard dose for pregnant women. Both Medline Plus of the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic consider EPO possibly unsafe in pregnancy because of its possible connection to labor complications. If you are pregnant and considering taking EPO supplements, consult a health care professional. Ask for scientifically supported evidence for its effectiveness and safety.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Evening Primrose Oil; Steven D. Ehrlich; 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera biennis L.); 2011
- Medline Plus: Evening Primrose Oil
- “American Family Physician”; Evening Primrose Oil; B. Bayles et al.; December 2009
- “Journal of Nurse-Midwifery”; Oral Evening Primrose Oil: Its Effect on Length of Pregnancy and Selected Intrapartum Outcomes in Low-Risk Nulliparous Women; D. Dove et al.; May-June 1999
Member Comments