A randomized trial of peppermint gel, lanolin ointment, and placebo gel to prevent nipple crack in primiparous breastfeeding women.

Background: Sore nipples are common during lactation and remain the major reason for failing to establish successful breastfeeding. To formulate a peppermint gel and to evaluate its effect on the prevention of nipple crack associated with breast-feeding, a randomized double-blinded clinical trial comparing the above formulation with modified lanolin and a neutral ointment was carried out.

Material/methods: Two hundred and sixteen primiparous participants were assigned randomly to three groups.