Lavender Oil Aromatherapy in the Semen Sample Collection Process: A Randomised Controlled Trial

To evaluate the effects of lavender oil aromatherapy on state anxiety, semen collection-related anxiety and difficulty, satisfaction with the inhaled scent, and semen parameters during semen sample collection. Semen sample collection may be associated with anxiety, perceived stress, and discomfort in men undergoing infertility evaluation. Supportive approaches that improve men’s experience during this process remain limited. This parallel-group randomised controlled trial included 102 men undergoing infertility evaluation. Participants were randomised to either the aromatherapy group (n = 51), which inhaled lavender oil aromatherapy during semen sample collection, or the placebo group (n = 51), which inhaled coconut oil using the same diffuser procedure. State anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State form (STAI-S). Semen collection-related anxiety, difficulty, and satisfaction with the inhaled scent were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Semen parameters were assessed through semen analysis. The groups were comparable at baseline. Repeated-measures analysis showed a borderline significant time × group interaction for STAI-S scores, suggesting a greater reduction in state anxiety in the aromatherapy group (p = 0.048). The VAS anxiety interaction was not statistically significant, and the post-procedure VAS anxiety difference did not remain significant after Bonferroni correction. Satisfaction with the inhaled scent was significantly higher in the aromatherapy group (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in VAS difficulty or semen parameters. Lavender oil aromatherapy may support short-term state anxiety reduction and improve satisfaction with the semen collection environment, but it did not affect procedural difficulty or semen parameters. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06241495. Registered on January 29, 2024. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06241495 .