Insights & Discussion
Aromatherapy, specifically with lavender essential oil, can effectively alleviate maternal anxiety and labor pain.
The methodology involved a systematic review of five databases - PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scientific Information Database - for studies on the use of aromatherapy for pain and anxiety management during labor. Search keywords included variations of aromatherapy, essential oil, aroma, pain, anxiety, labor, and delivery. The quality, bias, and reliability of the identified studies were assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's 'Risk of bias' protocol.
33 studies met the inclusion criteria, with various methods of aromatherapy application utilized, such as inhalation, massage, footbaths, birthing pools, acupressure, and compresses. The most commonly used essential oil was lavender, used individually or mixed with other essential oils. These studies, predominantly conducted in Iran, formed the basis for our analysis and provided evidence to assess the positive impact of aromatherapy on labor pain and anxiety.
Discover Related Insights
Inhalation and massage therapy with lavender essential oil significantly mitigates perceived labour pain in women.
2022 Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing Determining the effect of inhalation and lavender essential oil massage therapy on the severity of perceived labor pain in primiparous women: A randomized controlled trial Karatopuk S, Yarıcı F
Randomised Controlled Trial Labour Pain Lavender
The study was implemented using a random controlled trial on pregnant women divided into three groups – a control group, a group for lavender essence inhalation and a third group for lavender essence massage. After being divided into their respective groups, the first stage of labour was divided into three phases – early, active and transition – during which the interventions were applied. In the massage group, sacral compression and lower back massage were given, incorporating 2 drops of lavender oil in each labour phase. For the inhalation group, 2 drops of lavender oil were dripped onto the palms of the participants, who were then asked to inhale it for 3 minutes. Individual information was gathered through formats like the Personal Information Form, Visual Analogue Scale and Postpartum Assessment of Women Survey.
The results showed that women who underwent inhalation and massage therapies with lavender essential oil experienced less severe labour pain as compared to the control group. It was also discovered that the lavender oil inhalation was notably beneficial during the latent phase of labour whilst massage therapy demonstrated greater effectiveness during the active and transition periods. Therefore, incorporating lavender oil via massage therapy and inhalation methods during labour and delivery is highly recommended as a supplementary method to manage labour pain.
Aromatherapy, specifically lavender, appears to be an effective, affordable, and holistic approach to reducing the length of labour in expectant women.
2022 Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing duration of labour: a systematic review Ghiasi A, Bagheri L, Sharaflari F
Systematic Review Aromatherapy Labour Induction Lavender
The research executed a systematic review of clinical trial studies regarding the use of aromatherapy in labour augmentation, sourced from diverse databases including Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Google scholar, Irandoc, Science direct, Magiran and Sid up until September 2021. 22 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were examined, with the reported experiences of 3234 women who employed a variety of aromatherapies forming the analysis base.
In discussing the results, it was observed that certain aromatherapies notably lavender, showed efficacy in decreasing labour time for women. However, the paper emphasized the importance of prudent use of aromatherapy, most probably owing to the varying individual responses and potential for allergic reactions to such holistic interventions.
Aromatherapy enhances physio-psychological well-being in postpartum women.
2019 Journal of Nursing Research The Effects of Aromatherapy on Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review TSAI SS, WANG HH, CHOU FH
Systematic Review Aromatherapy Lavender Postpartum Care
This systematic review encompassed 15 studies conducted in Iran, England, and the United States, involving 2,131 postpartum participants. The research focused on evaluating aromatherapy's effects on various aspects of postpartum health. Aromatherapy interventions, primarily utilizing lavender and citrus aurantium essential oils, demonstrated positive outcomes. These included relief from nipple fissure pain, improved episiotomy recovery, reduced pain and nausea after cesarean section delivery, and enhanced sleep quality. Additionally, aromatherapy showed potential in positively influencing psychological health, particularly in reducing anxiety. Lavender oil emerged as the most impactful essential oil. While promising, further comprehensive studies are needed to establish aromatherapy as a validated therapy for postpartum women.
Aromatherapy significantly reduces labor pain and duration without impacting emergency caesarean section, membrane rupture, and the onset of spontaneous labor.
2019 Women and Birth Labour pain control by aromatherapy: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Chen SF, Wang CH, Chan PT, Chiang HW, Hu TM, Tam KW, et al.
Meta-Analysis Aromatherapy Labour Pain
Researchers undertook a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for determining the efficacy of aromatherapy in mitigating labor pain and reducing its duration. Various academic and scientific databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov were employed to find relevant trials. A total of 17 trials involving low-risk laboring women were identified and included in the meta-analysis.
Observations from the meta-analysis revealed that aromatherapy effectively alleviated labor pain during the transition phase and reduced the periods of active phase and third stage labor. Additionally, a trend of decreasing duration was noticed during the second stage. Notably, aromatherapy did not have any marked effects on emergency caesarean sections, membrane ruptures, or the initiation of spontaneous labor, indicating its general safety for expectant mothers. However, the diversity of outcomes across different trials was noted.
NaMS
Inhalation aromatherapy with Boswellia Carterii essential oil can significantly reduce labor pain intensity in nulliparous women.
2018 Nursing and Midwifery Studies The effects of inhalation aromatherapy withBoswellia carteriiessential oil on the intensity of labor pain among nulliparous women Esmaelzadeh-Saeieh S, Rahimzadeh M, Khosravi-Dehaghi N, Torkashvand S
Aromatherapy Frankincense Labour Pain
In this randomized controlled trial, 126 nulliparous women were split into two groups — an aromatherapy group and a placebo group. A piece of gauze was soaked with Boswellia Carterii essential oil diluted in normal saline for the aromatherapy group and was attached to the collar of each woman in this group. This intervention was repeated at 30-minute intervals up to a cervical dilation of 10 centimeters. The placebo group intervention mirrored those of the aromatherapy group but used only normal saline on the gauze. The intensity of labor pain was assessed before the intervention and at certain cervical dilation stages using a numeric pain rating scale.
The results revealed that the aromatherapy group experienced significantly less labor pain compared to the placebo group at all tracked stages of cervical dilation. It was found that Boswellia Carterii essential oil can indeed mitigate labor pain when used in inhalation aromatherapy. No significant differences were observed concerning the 1 and 5 minute Apgar scores across both groups.
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