Question
Does eating dates help with labour?
Answer
Maybe.
Explanation
Several studies have been done to determine whether consuming dried dates can reduce the need for labour induction, reduce the need for labour augmentation once started, or reduce postpartum bleeding.
All studies suffer from the same issue with potential bias, as there was no double blinding (the intervention groups knew they were consuming dates) and they were all conducted in Muslim-majority countries. The latter is significant because, as the studies themselves point out, dates consumption has been encouraged during pregnancy and after delivery in many Islamic traditions on religious grounds (based on The Quran, Surah 19, Verse 23 to 26).
Results summarised (actual results are more nuanced):
| Researchers | Year | Location | Double-blinded? | Self-reported? | Reduced labour induction? | Reduced labour augmentation? | Reduced postpartum bleeding? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed, I.E., et al. | 2018 | Saudi Arabia | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| Al-Kuran, O., et al. | 2011 | Jordan | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Khadem, N., et al. | 2007 | Iran | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Kordi, M., et al. | 2014 | Iran | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kordi, M., et al. | 2017 | Iran | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Razali, N., et al. | 2017 | Malaysia | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
There may be a genuine reduction especially in labour augmentation from eating dates, but it's not possible to conclude so from the current research.
Some possible metabolic underpinnings have been suggested by the studies. These have been either unsubstantiated or rely on the nutritional contents of dates, but in those cases (such as with the carbohydrates contents or the serotonon, tannin, and calcium contents) there are a number of other foods which have similar or more of these nutrients.
Sources
Ahmed, I.E., H.O. Mirghani, et al., Effects of date fruit consumption on labour and vaginal delivery in Tabuk, KSA (Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2018)
Al-Kuran, O., L. Al-Mehaisen, et al., The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labour and delivery, (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, January 2011)
Khadem, N., A. Sharaphy, et al., Comparing the efficacy of dates and oxytocin in the management of postpartum hemorrhage, (Shiraz E-Medical Journal, 2007)
Kordi M., F.A. Meybodi, et al., The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on cervical ripening in nulliparous women, (Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, 2014)
Kordi M., F.A. Meybodi, et al., Effect of dates in late pregnancy on the duration of labor in nulliparous women, (Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, Volume 22, Issue 5, 2017)
Razali, N., S.H.M. Nahwari, et al. Date fruit consumption at term: Effect on length of gestation, labour and delivery, (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2017)