Labor Pain, Natural Childbirth, Parturition
Conditions
Keywords
aromatherapy, childbirth, Obstetrics, Labour, Complementary Medicine, delivery, obstetric
Brief summary
Aromatherapy is a form of complementary medicine that uses scented materials known as essential oils for the purpose of affecting a person's health or mood. Although aromatherapy has been used in childbirth for centuries, there are no high-quality studies examining whether the treatment works. Methodology We would like to see if aromatherapy affects a woman's experience of childbirth by lowering associated anxiety and pain. Consenting participants will be randomly allocated to one of these groups: 1. Aromatherapy oils (e.g. clary sage, peppermint, lavender, frankincense) 2. Non-essential oil (baby oil) 3. Standard maternity care We will gather primary data, e.g. if she's been in labour before and her awareness of complementary medicine. We will also conduct the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory with her, and provide her with the oil and swab if she is in groups 1 or 2 with instructions to keep the swab with the oil on it near to her. She can also put more oil on the swab as she requires. Postnatally, data will be collected from her notes regarding pain relief used, duration of labour, augmentation of labour, and any other medical interventions of note. We will also complete the anxiety scale with her once more. Before her discharge we ask the mother for any comments regarding her experience of the labour. The results from all three cohorts will then be compared. There will also be opportunity for the midwife to make any comments regarding his/her perception of the participant's labour. Finally we will hold a focus group with midwives regarding the practicalities for implementation of aromatherapy in maternity care
Interventions
OTHERAromatherapy oil
Oil consists of Clary Sage, Peppermint, Lavender and Frankincense with drops of each mixed into a carrier oil.
OTHERNone essential oil
Baby oil
Sponsors
University of Nottingham
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
16 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* women in labour and expecting a normal delivery, * aged \> 16 who are able to make informed consent; * singleton pregnancy; * spontaneous or induced labour onset; * prior to elective or emergency caesarean section.
Exclusion criteria
* preterm labour; * pool births; * scheduled caesarean section.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Whether aromatherapy can lower levels of anxiety in women in labour | 1 year |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Whether aromatherapy decreases analgesia use in women in labour | 1 year |
| Whether aromatherapy increases her perceived quality and satisfaction of women in labour | 1 year |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactDawn-Marie Walker, BSc MSc PhD
Outcome results
None listed