Date fruit consumption and labor duration in 120 pregnant women in 2020
What it found
Pregnant women who ate six dates a day for four weeks before birth had shorter labors than those who did not.
This was seen in 120 women at a hospital in Sarajevo.
What they found
Studies in people
Shorter overall labor time
Women who ate dates gave birth 8.5 hours faster than those who did not. Labor lasted about 15 hours in the group that did not eat dates.
Faster cervix opening
The cervix reached full opening faster in women who ate dates. In the other group, this phase took 1.5 to 2 hours longer.
More natural births
Among the 60 women who ate dates, 60% had a spontaneous natural birth. Only 40% needed oxytocin to help with contractions.
Other findings
Nutrients in dates
Dates contain fatty acids that help make prostaglandins, which are needed for labor. They also provide folic acid, vitamin K, iron, potassium, and magnesium.
What the authors conclude
- They say eating dates helped the cervix prepare for birth better than not eating them.
- They recommend dates as an energizing food for pregnant women, especially in the final weeks of pregnancy.
- They note that dates affect hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which help prepare the uterus.
How it was done
Dates are traditionally eaten by pregnant women in many cultures, and earlier studies suggested they might help labor progress. The authors wanted to check this effect on how labor starts and progresses.
The researchers looked back at records of 120 pregnant women at a clinic in Sarajevo during 2020. Sixty women ate six dates a day in the last four weeks of pregnancy, and sixty did not eat dates.
What it can’t tell you
- This study looked back at past records rather than randomly assigning women to groups. That means it can show a link but cannot prove dates caused the shorter labors.
- Other habits or differences between the two groups of women might explain some of the results.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- None to declare.
- Authors work at
- Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, BiH; Faculty of Health Studies Sarajevo. University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The paper
- Title
- The Effects of Date Consumption on Labor and Vaginal Birth
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- El-Ardat MA, Obradovic Z, Saldo D, Velagic M, Omeragic A, Galijasevic N (2025). The Effects of Date Consumption on Labor and Vaginal Birth. Medical archives (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina). doi:10.5455/medarh.2025.79.56-60Free full textPubMed 40322306DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error