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Aromatherapy, specifically with lavender essential oil, can effectively alleviate maternal anxiety and labor pain.
2020 Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in the Management of Labor Pain and Anxiety: A Systematic Review Mahbubeh Tabatabaeichehr , Hamed Mortazavi
Systematic Review Anxiety Aromatherapy Labour 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.
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 Anxiety Aromatherapy Lavender
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.
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 with Boswellia carterii essential oil on the intensity of labor pain among nulliparous women Esmaelzadeh-Saeieh S, Rahimzadeh M, Khosravi-Dehaghi N, Torkashvand S
Randomised Controlled Trial 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.