Non-pharmacological therapies applied in pregnancy and labor: an integrative review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to identify non-pharmacological therapies, including massage, applied during pregnancy and labor to reduce labor-related effects such as pain, duration, and anxiety.
Results Summary
Massage was among the non-pharmacological therapies found to have positive outcomes, including pain reduction in labor and improvements in variables like labor duration, anxiety, and pelvic floor laceration rates. Six articles (60%) supported its efficacy for pain reduction.
Population
Pregnant individuals during pregnancy and labor.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
massage | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #1 |
perineal massage | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #2 |
hot bath | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #3 |
supportive care | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #4 |
childbirth preparation group | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #5 |
breathing techniques | decrease | pain in labor | - | - | positive outcome for reduction | #6 |
massage | decrease | time of labor | - | - | positive outcome | #7 |
massage | decrease | anxiety | - | - | positive outcome | #8 |
massage | decrease | pelvic floor laceration rates | - | - | positive outcome | #9 |
non-pharmacological therapies | decrease | pain | - | - | efficient to reduce | #10 |
non-pharmacological therapies | decrease | duration of labor | - | - | efficient to reduce | #11 |
non-pharmacological therapies | decrease | anxiety | - | - | efficient to reduce | #12 |
non-pharmacological therapies | decrease | laceration | - | - | efficient to reduce | #13 |
non-pharmacological therapies | decrease | episiotomy | - | - | efficient to reduce | #14 |
OBJECTIVE: To identify non-pharmacological therapies applied during pregnancy and labor. METHOD: Integrative review conducted in the databases: PubMed, ScieLO and PEDro, searching for articles from 2008 in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The descriptors used were: pregnancy, childbirth, physiotherapy, alternative and complementary medicine, alternative therapy, non-pharmacological therapy, biomechanical therapy. RESULTS: Forty-one articles were analyzed and subdivided into ten categories of nonpharmacological therapies: massage, perineal massage, hot bath, supportive care, childbirth preparation group, breathing techniques, pelvic floor exercises, transcutaneous electrostimulation, Swiss ball and spontaneous pushing. Six articles (60%) showed a positive outcome for reduction of pain in labor and all of them had a positive outcome for different variables of labor, such as reduction of time, anxiety and pelvic floor laceration rates. CONCLUSION: The use of non-pharmacological therapies was efficient to reduce the effects of labor and childbirth, such as pain, duration of labor, anxiety, laceration and episiotomy.