Virtual Reality Compared to Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04749043

Enrollment

Registered

2021-02-10

Start date

2021-02-18

Completion date

2023-12-31

Last updated

2024-03-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Labor Pain

Keywords

Virtual Reality

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if non-invasive distracting devices (Virtual Reality headsets) are non-inferior to conventional therapy (nitrous oxide) for addressing maternal needs during labor who desire non-epidural pain relief.

Detailed description

The investigators will use a commercially available consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) device and nitrous oxide, a standard of care therapy for laboring women desiring non-epidural analgesic, to determine satisfaction with pain relief with each therapy.

Interventions

DEVICEOculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality Device

30 min VR experience exposure for labor analgesia. VR experiences include swimming in the ocean, walking through forests, engaging in 3D puzzles, exploring virtual lands, or interacting with musical objects

DRUGNitrous oxide

30 min exposure for labor analgesia

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Intervention model description

Comparing VR to an active control of nitrous oxide as a current standard of care for non-epidural analgesic in a crossover design

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Singleton pregnancy at \>34 weeks * Regular uterine contractions * Pain \> 2/10 * English speaking

Exclusion criteria

* BMI \> 40 * Preeclampsia with severe features * Use of IV analgesics during labor * Diabetes requiring insulin therapy * Claustrophobia * History of epilepsy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Patient satisfaction	70 minutes	Patient satisfaction with pain relief on a scale of 0-10

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Effectiveness	70 minutes	Effectiveness of device in relieving pain on a scale of 0-10
Cope with Pain	70 minutes	Ability to cope with pain on a scale of 0-10
Dizzy	70 minutes	Dizziness level on a scale of 0-10
Anxiety	70 minutes	Anxiety level on a scale of 0-10
Nausea	70 minutes	Nausea level on a scale of 0-10
Pain score	70 minutes	Pain level on a scale of 0-10

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026