Lactulose oral solution for the treatment of postpartum constipation

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of lactulose oral solution in treating puerperal constipation. The lactulose group was given lactulose, 15 ml once a day, and then given a maintenance dose of 5 ~ 15 ml/time according to defecation condition of patients. Maintenance treatment lasted for one week if the symptoms were relieved; but once symptoms recurred, the medication was restored. Patients in the control group were blank controls. The treatment lasted for six weeks. The conditions of patients, adverse events and combined medication were recorded every day. Patients were evaluated with SF-36 scale before and after treatment. Two hundred and eleven patients with postpartum constipation were selected from five research institutes and they were divided into lactulose group (n=106) and control group (n=105). The curative effect and the improvement of symptoms of the lactulose group were much better than those of the control group (p less than 0.01). Constipation in the lactulose group relieved faster compared to the control group (p less than 0.05). Number of days without constipation in the lactulose group was much more than that of the control group (p less than 0.05). Defecation time in the lactulose group was shorter than that of the control group (p less than 0.05). Dose of lactulose in the lactulose group reduced week by week. Differences of general physical conditions in SF-36 scale between two groups were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Various vital signs of the two groups had no significant changes after treatment. It can be concluded that, lactulose is an effective and safe drug for treating postpartum constipation.