THE EFFECT OF LEMON AROMATHERAPY ON EMESIS GRAVIDARUM IN PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE 1ST TRIMESTER

Nelisa Qadriyyah1 , Raden Maria Veronika Widia Trilupi 2

Abstract

BackgroundEmesis gravidarum is a condition of nausea and vomiting that is often experienced by pregnant women during the first trimester and can affect nutritional status and quality of life. Lemon aromatherapy is known to have calming and antiemetic effects, but scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness in reducing emesis gravidarum is limited.

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of lemon aromatherapy on the level of emesis gravidarum in pregnant women in the first trimester.

Method: The research design used was an experimental pretest–posttest with a control group. The sample consisted of 30 respondents, namely 15 pregnant women in the treatment group and 15 in the control group, which were determined through consecutive sampling techniques. The level of emesis gravidarum was measured using the PUQE-24 instrument. Analysis of changes before and after the intervention was carried out using the McNemar test, while comparisons between groups used the Fisher's Exact test due to the relatively small sample size.

Results: The study results indicate that lemon aromatherapy significantly reduces the level of emesis gravidarum in pregnant women in the first trimester, as indicated by a p value of 0.001 (p < 0.05). Administering lemon aromatherapy every morning for 7 days has been shown to be effective in reducing nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Lemon aromatherapy has been proven effective as an alternative therapy in treating emesis gravidarum in pregnant women in the first trimester. This intervention can be recommended to health workers, especially midwives, as a non-pharmacological approach in treating symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.