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.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the effects of lavender essence inhalation and massage therapy on reducing labor pain in primiparous women.
Results Summary
Lavender inhalation and massage therapy significantly reduced perceived labor pain compared to the control group, with inhalation being most effective in the latent phase and massage more effective in active and transition phases.
Population
Primiparous women in labor.
Effective Dosage
2 drops of lavender oil per application (inhalation for 3 minutes, massage for 15 minutes).
Duration
Applied during each phase of the first stage of labor (early, active, transition).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
lavender essence inhalation | decrease | labor pain perceived | primiparous women | - | were milder | #1 |
massage therapy applied with lavender oil | decrease | labor pain perceived | primiparous women | - | were milder | #2 |
lavender oil inhalation | decrease | labor pain | primiparous women | - | gave the best results | #3 |
massage therapy with lavender oil | decrease | labor pain | primiparous women | - | was more effective | #4 |
inhalation and massage therapy applied using lavender essential oil | decrease | perceived labor pain | primiparous women | - | contributed to the alleviation | #5 |
BACKGROUND: This research aimed to reveal the effect of lavender essence inhalation and the massage therapy applied with lavender oil on the severity of labor pain of primiparous women. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted with three groups. Pregnant women participating in the study were randomly divided into control group (n=40), lavender essence inhalation group (n=44) and lavender essence massage (n=37) groups. The applications were divided in three for each phase in the first stage of labor (early, active and transition). Thereafter sacral compression and circular massage were applied for 15 minutes on the lower back (waist) region of the participants by using 2 drops of lavender oil in each phase of labor; 2 drops of lavender oil were dripped onto the palms of the participants in the inhalation group by the researcher and they were asked to inhale it for 3 minutes. Research data were collected using Personal Information Form (PIF), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Postpartum Assessment of Women Survey (PAWS). RESULTS: The results of the research revealed that the labor pain perceived by the women who were applied inhalation and massage therapy using lavender essential oil were milder compared to the control group (p<0.05). Another finding of the research revealed that the lavender oil inhalation gave the best results in the latent phase, however the massage therapy with lavender oil was more effective in the active and transition phases. CONCLUSION: Inhalation and massage therapy applied using lavender essential oil contributed to the alleviation of perceived labor pain. For this reason, massage therapy and inhalation applications using lavender oil are recommended to be applied by midwives as a complementary method to adapt to labor pain during delivery.