Acupuncture as Pain Relief and Relaxation During Childbirth

University of Aarhus

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2; Phase 1

Conditions: Natural Childbirth; Acupuncture Analgesia

Treatments: Other: Traditional Group; Other: TENS; Procedure: Acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00261755

Akupunktur2001-41-1305

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture for pain relief and relaxation during childbirth.

Full description

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture for pain relief an relaxation during childbirth.

In a controlled study 607 healthy patients in active labor at term are randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture, TENS or traditional analgesia. Pharmacological analgesia is provided on request. The treatment is administered by midwives trained in acupuncture and TENS. The objective parameter of outcome is the need for conventional analgesia in each group. Visual analogue scale assessments are used to evaluate participants perception of pain before, during and after treatment. Questionnaires filled out two months after delivery is used to investigate the patients experience and satisfaction with delivery and analgesia.

Enrollment: 607 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy, Danish speaking women with a normal singleton pregnancy giving birth at term 37 - 42 weeks) with a fetus in cephalic presentation.

Exclusion criteria

• Women with medical diseases or complicated pregnancy. Women who has already received conventional analgesia during labor.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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607 participants in 3 patient groups

Acupuncture Group

Experimental group

Description:

Acupuncture treatment during labor

Treatment:

Procedure: Acupuncture

TENS Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS treatment)during labor

Treatment:

Other: TENS

Traditional Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Traditional pain treatment during labor

Treatment:

Other: Traditional Group