Endorphin at Labor Pain and Acupressure

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study was performed to determine the impact of different acupressure procedures, performed on women's hands during labor, on endorphin levels and labor pain perception. The sample consisted of 140 pregnant women. The study was conducted with three experimental groups and one control group, each including 35 pregnant women. Conventional acupressure and warm and cold acupressure procedures were performed on the Large Intestinal 4 energy meridian zone acupressure point of the experimental group. No procedures were performed on the women in the control group. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, Labor Intervention Follow-up Form, Visual Analog Scale and Verbal Category Scale. The comparison between the experimental and control groups indicated that the conventional acupressure procedure was effective in reducing labor pain and that the warm acupressure procedure increased endorphin levels.

Official Title
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The Impact of Different Acupressure Procedures Performed on the Hand During Labor on Endorphin Levels and Labor Pain Perception: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Labor Pain

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Warm Acupressure, Cold Acupressure , Conventional Acupressure


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Being a primipara Having intact membranes No skin diseases (such as urticaria...), No use of narcotic drugs Having a term pregnancy Having a single fetus at vertex position Planning to have vaginal delivery Having contractions and ongoing regular augmentation Having recent augmentation starting periods Being in the latent phase (0-3 cm dilatation) Having no history of high-risk pregnancy Not using analgesic drugs to reduce pain during delivery Having no systemic and neurologic diseases Having no contraction anomaly (hypotonic or hypertonic contractions) Exclusion Criteria: Having any of the above criteria. -

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 45 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Warm Acupressure Procedure Group<br>Latent phase Visual Analog Scale and Verbal Category Scale I given as pretest First venous blood sample taken Active phase The first warm acupressure procedure was performed for ten minutes on the Large Intestinal 4 energy meridian zone acupressure point on the non-dominant hand. This process was repeated three more times at one-hour intervals. Visual Analog Scale II and Verbal Category Scale II were measured at the end of the active phase Transition phase The second warm acupressure procedure was performed three times at one-hour intervals A 30-minute break was given Visual Analog Scale III and Verbal Category Scale III were performed Second venous blood sample taken | Other: Warm Acupressure, Cold Acupressure , Conventional Acupressure<br>* Acupressure is non-invasive, safe and effective.<br>|
| Experimental: Cold Acupressure Procedure Group<br>Latent phase Visual Analog Scale I and Verbal Category Scale I given as pretest First venous blood sample taken Active phase The first cold acupressure procedure was performed for ten minutes on the Large Intestinal 4 energy meridian zone acupressure point on the non-dominant hand. This process was repeated three more times at one-hour intervals. Visual Analog Scale II and Verbal Category Scale II were measured at the end of the active phase Transition phase The second cold acupressure procedure was performed three times at one-hour intervals A 30-minute break was given Visual Analog Scale III and Verbal Category Scale III were performed Second venous blood sample taken | Other: Warm Acupressure, Cold Acupressure , Conventional Acupressure<br>* Acupressure is non-invasive, safe and effective.<br>|
| Experimental: Conventional Acupressure Group<br>Latent phase Visual Analog Scale I and Verbal Category Scale I given as pretest First venous blood sample taken Active phase Conventional acupressure was performed for 30 minutes on the Large Intestinal 4 energy meridian zone acupressure point on the non-dominant hand. This process was repeated twice more at one-hour intervals. Visual Analog Scale II and Verbal Category Scale II were measured at the end of the active phase Transition phase The second conventional acupressure procedure was performed twice at one-hour intervals A 30-minute break was given Visual Analog Scale III and Verbal Category Scale III were performed Second venous blood sample taken | Other: Warm Acupressure, Cold Acupressure , Conventional Acupressure<br>* Acupressure is non-invasive, safe and effective.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>Latent phase Visual Analog Scale I and Verbal Category Scale I given as pretest First venous sample taken Active phase No procedure other than the routine clinical practices were carried out. Visual Analog Scale II and Verbal Category Scale II were measured at the end of the active phase Transition phase No procedure other than the normal clinical routines was conducted Visual Analog Scale III and Verbal Category Scale III were performed. Second venous blood sample taken | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| labor pain | pain scale | through study completion, an average of 1month | 
| endorphin levels | physiological parameter | through study completion, an average of 1month | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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acupressure, labor pain, Midwifery, pregnant women, endorphins, warm acupressure, cold acupressure