Effects of Aromatherapy on Childbirth

University of Nottingham

Status and phase: Unknown; Phase 2

Conditions: Labor Pain; Natural Childbirth; Parturition

Treatments: Other: None essential oil; Other: Aromatherapy oil

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01051726

10018

Details and patient eligibility

About

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

Enrollment: 90 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 16 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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90 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Aromatherapy group 1

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be given essential oil consisting of (Peppermint, Lavender, Clary Sage and Frankincense) together with a swab to put the oil on.

Treatment:

Other: Aromatherapy oil

Control group 2

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participants receive a bottle of non essential oil and a swab.

Treatment:

Other: None essential oil

Control group 3

No Intervention group

Description:

Standard maternity care to measure baseline.