Aromatherapy and Women's Health

While studying in the aromatherapy certification course, there were some areas that I was interested in reading up more about, with their connections to aromatherapy. One of which is women's health.

Started with reading the earlier publication, "Women's Health Aromatherapy" [1], followed by "Aromatherapy and Women's Mental Health" [2].

The first book shared the insights and evidence from decades of clinical experience from the author in terms of how aromatherapy could be used safely and effectively to support women's health - obstetrics (pregnancy, labour and delivery, postpartum) and gynecology (menstrual discomforts, premenstrual syndromes, menopause).

The more recent publication continued to delve into aromatherapy support for women's health, into women's mental health, which may be influenced and impacted by different conditions and/or different stages women go through in their lives.

In both books, guidance was provided on essential oils and methods of application that could be used to support various conditions related to women's health. Appreciation to the author for also generously sharing the resource list, which could be helpful for both personal and clinical aromatherapy practice.

Something that touched my heart, especially when reading the latter book, was the importance of accepting and loving ourselves wholeheartedly, offering ourselves more understanding and less criticism. It can be challenging at times with the influence and possibly ups and downs of hormonal changes on physical, emotional, and mental health as women strive to balance various areas of their lives. Self-compassion comes up when writing this.

The author's sharing of years of experience witnessing various scenarios and how aromatherapy helped different people offers the possibility of an option that could be incorporated into women's (or anyone's) self-care (if interested) to support their health and wellbeing based on their individual needs.

References

1. Conrad, P. (2019). Women's Health Aromatherapy: A Clinically Evidence-Based Guide for Nurses, Midwives, Doulas and Therapists. Singing Dragon.

2. Conrad, P. & Tiran, D. (2023). Aromatherapy and Women's Mental Health: An Evidence-Based Guide to Support Emotional Wellbeing. Singing Dragon.