Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2012) 20, 263—266 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com jou rnal h om epa ge: www.elsevierhealth.com/journals/ctim The effect of olive oil on prevention of striae gravidarum: A randomized controlled clinical trial F. Soltanipoor a,* , M. Delaram b,** , S. Taavoni c , H. Haghani d a Karaj University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran b Faculty of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, ShahreKord, Iran c Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran d Department of Statistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Available online 12 June 2012 KEYWORDS Striae gravidarum; Prevention of striae gravidarum; Olive oil Summary Objectives: Striae gravidarum (SG) is one of the cutaneous physiological changes during preg- nancy with a high prevalence. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of olive oil in prevention of SG. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Health care centers and three Hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Participants: 100 nulliparous pregnant women. Interventions: Fifty women were randomly allocated to each study group. The treatment group received 1 cc topical olive oil twice a day to apply on the abdominal skin in a gentle manner without massaging it until the delivery. Control group did not receive any cream or oil during the study. Main outcome measures: Development of SG and its severity was recorded at the end of the study. Results: Although the frequency of severe SG was lower in the users of olive oil compared to the other group, no statistically significant difference was found between the two experimental groups and the control group in the incidence and the severity of SG. Conclusion: Olive oil reduces the incidence of severe SG and increases the incidence of mild SG, but it does not significantly reduce the incidence and the severity of SG and it could not be recommended for SG prevention. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ∗ Corresponding author at: Unit 7, Number 25, Bahar 1 (Hesari) Alley, After the First Thirty Meter, Seraj Street, Farjam Street, Resalat Avenue, P.O. Box: 13185-1678, Tehran, Iran. Tel.: +98 21 88773073; fax: +98 21 66423304. ∗∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: farzanehsoltanipoor@yahoo.com (F. Soltanipoor). Introduction Striae gravidarum (SG) is one of the cutaneous physiolog- ical changes during pregnancy that is appeared as red 1 and purple 2 lines on the abdominal skin and sometimes the skin of breast, thighs and axilla. 1 Although the main cause of SG is unknown 1 , genetic factors, 2 family history, skin type, skin color, young maternal age, gestational age, 0965-2299/$ — see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2012.05.001