Childbirth is one of the most painful phenomena that women will tolerate in their lifetime. Labor pain is recognized as one of the most severe human pain [1,2].Severe pain associated to vaginal delivery can cause abnormal uterine action during labor which might lead to increased medical interventions such as caesarian section (C/S) [3]. According to world health report, the rate of C/S in Iran ...

BACKGROUND Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological pain relief method. It is an auxiliary method and not intended to replace other techniques. OBJECTIVES To perform a systematic review assessing the effectiveness of TENS compared to no TENS treatment or placebo with the following outcomes: pain relief (primary outcome), analgesic requirements, duration of labor, ...

This study was carried out to assess the awareness, perceptions, acceptance, and the level of utilization of epidural analgesia in relation to other methods of labor pain relief among prospective parturient attending the ante-natal clinic in south eastern Nigeria. Women attending the ante-natal clinic were interviewed using interviewer administered questionnaires containing both open and closed...

Background: Epidural analgesia is a central nerve block technique achieved by injection of a local anesthetic close to the nerves that transmit pain and is widely used as a form of pain relief in labor. The objective was to study the effect of epidural analgesia on cardiotocographic parameters and relief of pain, effect on course of labor and its outcome in terms of duration, any complications ...

Acupuncture is widely used to alleviate symptoms in a variety of painful conditions. In obstetrics and gynecology, acupuncture has also been applied to a range of conditions including labor pain. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the evidence on analgesic effect of acupuncture during labor. Computerized literature searches of 7 databases were performed for randomized clinical t...

BACKGROUND Pain is a common experience for women during labor. Therefore, pain relief care for mothers during labor is very important. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy on labor pain reduction in primiparous women. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this meta-analysis, the databases of Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Iranmedex, Scientific Informati...

BACKGROUND Acupressure has been used frequently to improve labor, manage labor pain, and shorten delivery time. However, there has been little research-based evidence to support the positive effects of acupressure in the obstetric area and obstetric nursing. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SP6 acupressure on labor pain and delivery time in primigravida women in...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a commonly used labor analgesic in many Western countries, but is used infrequently in the United States. The University of California at San Francisco has been offering N2O for labor analgesia for more than 30 years. Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently began offering N2O as an option for pain relief in laboring women. Many women report that N2O provides effecti...

IMPLICATIONS We evaluated a continuous epidural infusion containing bupivacaine 0.05% plus the opioid hydromorphone in 1830 women requesting pain relief during labor and delivery. The infusion provided effective analgesia with minimal adverse events for patients differing in parity and at varying stages of labor. Pain relief was maintained in most patients without the need for epidural reinforc...