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Effects of Aromatherapy on Childbirth

NCT01051726 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 90

Last updated 2013-01-16

No results posted yet for this study

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:

1. Aromatherapy oils (e.g. clary sage, peppermint, lavender, frankincense)
2. Non-essential oil (baby oil)
3. 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

Conditions

  • Parturition
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Labor Pain

Interventions

OTHER

Aromatherapy oil

Oil consists of Clary Sage, Peppermint, Lavender and Frankincense with drops of each mixed into a carrier oil.

OTHER

None essential oil

Baby oil

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Nottingham

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Dawn-Marie Walker, BSc MSc PhD · University of Nottingham

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
16 Years
Max Age
45 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2012-01-31
Primary Completion
2013-07-31
Completion
2013-07-31

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01051726 on ClinicalTrials.gov