Hormonal Effects on Pain Perception (HEPP)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Progesterone Levels; Pregnancy Associated Analgesia; Pregnancy

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00699595

F070721003

Details and patient eligibility

About

To investigate if labor pain is affected by mother's hormone levels.

The hormonal effects of pregnancy are well documented. Although differences in pain sensitivity between women and men are partly attributable to social conditioning and to psychosocial factors, many laboratory studies of humans have described sex differences in sensitivity to noxious stimuli, suggesting that biological mechanisms underlie such differences. Some animal studies have suggested that sensitivity to pain decreases during pregnancy because of the progressive activation of endogenous pain inhibitory systems. This effect may be mediated by pregnancy-associated hormones, in particular progesterone.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 19 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• healthy pregnant women at term (>37GA)

Exclusion criteria

• chronic pain
• regular analgesic medication
• severe cardiopulmonary problems
• very difficult intravenous access
• advanced labor
• precipitous delivery

Trial design

50 participants in 1 patient group

Term pregnant women

Description:

Healthy women scheduled for elective Cesarean section.