Labour Pain is a Subjective Experience. The Degree of a Woman's Suffering in Childbirth Depends on Indirect Factors

Bogomolets National Medical University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Pain, Labor

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Visual analogue scale (VAS); Diagnostic Test: General anxiety scale (GAD-2) and survey

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05226208

0002-9033-149X

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pain During Childbirth is a Complex and Subjective Experience. The Degree of a Woman's Suffering in Childbirth Depends on the Intensity of Labour Pain and Many Indirect Factors. Complex Interrelated Effects on Labour Pain Are Limited by the Little Number of Studies Available. That is Why it is Necessary to Determine the Probable Factors That May Affect the Intensity of Pain.

Full description

A prospective observational study was conducted in the period from December 2020 to May 2021 at the Kyiv City Maternity Hospital №5 (Kyiv, Ukraine). The study protocol was approved by the Bogomolets National Medical University Ethics Committee. The examined predictors were derived from mothers' self-report of overall childbirth. 366 women took part in research, 282 of participants rated their pain by ≤ 60 mm visual analog scale (VAS), while 84 patients reported their pain by ≥70 mm VAS. The aim of study was to investigate predictors of severe labour pain. In the postpartum period all patients filled questionnaires and underwent interviews from the 1st to the 3rd day after delivery. The following groups of risk factors were studied:

1. Demographic indicators (age, level of working capacity 2 months before childbirth, attendance of maternity school).
2. General level of health (woman's level of health before childbirth, daily physical activity before childbirth, bad habits - smoking during pregnancy).
3. Presence of mental disorders before childbirth (level of anxiety 2 weeks before childbirth, widespread muscle pain with fatigue or problems with memory, sleep, and mood).
4. The presence of chronic pain, chronic headache or chronic back pain, the presence of rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy, the presence of increased intracranial pressure during pregnancy.
5. Presence of chronic intestinal diseases (irritable bowel syndrome).
6. The level of assistance during childbirth (constant support of the doula during childbirth, the woman's ability to control pain in childbirth).

Enrollment: 366 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• mothers over 18 years of age, 1st or 2nd parturitions, childbirth with the birth of the alive fetus.

Exclusion criteria

• mothers over 45 years of age, inability to obtain the informed consent of the patient or his legal representative.

Trial design

366 participants in 2 patient groups

Women with not severe labour pain

Description:

Group 1 included 282 patients (pain level ≥7 mm according to the VAS).

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Visual analogue scale (VAS)

Diagnostic Test: General anxiety scale (GAD-2) and survey

Women with severe labour pain

Description:

Group 2 included 84 patients (pain level ≤ 6 mm using the VAS).

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Visual analogue scale (VAS)

Diagnostic Test: General anxiety scale (GAD-2) and survey