The effect of lavender aromatherapy on the incidence of dyspareunia in post partum mothers

Introduction: Sexual needs are very important for domestic harmony. The incidence of pain during sexual intercourse often occurs in postpartum mothers, which causes concern and fear of mothers doing these activities. One of the efforts to reduce the pain is lavender aromatherapy. This study aimed to analyze the effect of lavender aromatherapy on the incidence of dyspareunia in postpartum mothers. Methods: The research design, which takes the form of a nonequivalent control group design, is quasi-experimental. Aromatherapy with lavender is the independent variable, and dyspareunia is the dependent variable. In Wonokromo Village, Surabaya, 102 respondents with accidental sampling for 3 months made up the population of postpartum mothers in 2022. The survey served as the research tool. The Spearman's test was used to assess the data. Results: The majority of mothers who did not use lavender aromatherapy (55.9%) experienced severe dyspareunia, almost half of the mothers who used lavender aromatherapy (41.2%) experienced moderate dyspareunia, and mothers who always used lavender aromatherapy almost half (44.1%) had mild dyspareunia. There is a significant effect of lavender aromatherapy on the incidence of dyspareunia in postpartum mothers (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The more mothers do not use lavender aromatherapy before having sex, the more severe the incidence of dyspareunia or pain during sexual intercourse.