Effect of prunes on gastrointestinal function after benign gynecological surgery: a randomized control trial

Objective: To investigate the effect of postoperative prune consumption on time to first bowel movement after benign gynecologic surgery.

Materials and methods: In this randomized, open label, controlled trial, 77 adult women who had benign gynecologic surgery that required at least one night in the hospital were enrolled from July 2018 to April 2019. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two groups using a randomization assignment: 4 oz prunes daily plus docusate sodium 100 g twice daily versus docusate alone. The study's primary objective was time to first bowel movement (BM). Secondary outcomes were pain associated with first BM, stool consistency using Bristol stool scale, and patient satisfaction with bowel regimen and surgery experience.

Results: Postoperative survey data was available for 68.4% of participants (n = 52). There was no difference in time to first BM between the two groups (p = 0.29); however, consumption of > 12 prunes was associated with an increased likelihood of having a BM in the study period. Among women who consumed at least 12 prunes, hospital discharge was earlier, and there was a not statistically significant greater satisfaction with postoperative bowel regimen.

Conclusions: The addition of prunes to postoperative bowel regimen of docusate sodium may be a beneficial adjunct to postoperative bowel regimen.

Clinical trial: The Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California approved the study, and the study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT03523715).