Effects of Aromatherapy on Childbirth
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Aromatherapy is a form of complementary medicine that uses scented materials known as essential oils for the purpose of affecting a person's health or mood. Although aromatherapy has been used in childbirth for centuries, there are no high-quality studies examining whether the treatment works.
Methodology
We would like to see if aromatherapy affects a woman's experience of childbirth by lowering associated anxiety and pain. Consenting participants will be randomly allocated to one of these groups:
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Aromatherapy oils (e.g. clary sage, peppermint, lavender, frankincense)
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Non-essential oil (baby oil)
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Standard maternity care
We will gather primary data, e.g. if she's been in labour before and her awareness of complementary medicine. We will also conduct the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory with her, and provide her with the oil and swab if she is in groups 1 or 2 with instructions to keep the swab with the oil on it near to her. She can also put more oil on the swab as she requires.
Postnatally, data will be collected from her notes regarding pain relief used, duration of labour, augmentation of labour, and any other medical interventions of note. We will also complete the anxiety scale with her once more. Before her discharge we ask the mother for any comments regarding her experience of the labour. The results from all three cohorts will then be compared. There will also be opportunity for the midwife to make any comments regarding his/her perception of the participant's labour. Finally we will hold a focus group with midwives regarding the practicalities for implementation of aromatherapy in maternity care
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Phase 2 |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Aromatherapy group 1 Participants will be given essential oil consisting of (Peppermint, Lavender, Clary Sage and Frankincense) together with a swab to put the oil on. |
Other: Aromatherapy oil
Oil consists of Clary Sage, Peppermint, Lavender and Frankincense with drops of each mixed into a carrier oil.
|
| Placebo Comparator: Control group 2 Participants receive a bottle of non essential oil and a swab. |
Other: None essential oil
Baby oil
|
| No Intervention: Control group 3 Standard maternity care to measure baseline. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Whether aromatherapy can lower levels of anxiety in women in labour [1 year]
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Whether aromatherapy decreases analgesia use in women in labour [1 year]
- Whether aromatherapy increases her perceived quality and satisfaction of women in labour [1 year]
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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women in labour and expecting a normal delivery,
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aged > 16 who are able to make informed consent;
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singleton pregnancy;
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spontaneous or induced labour onset;
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prior to elective or emergency caesarean section.
Exclusion Criteria:
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preterm labour;
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pool births;
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scheduled caesarean section.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kings Mill Hospital | Nottingham | United Kingdom |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- University of Nottingham
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Dawn-Marie Walker, BSc MSc PhD, University of Nottingham
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 10018