B O D Y T A L K
C O M P I L E D B Y B R A N D O N T W Y F O R D
Lavender Essence
Aromatherapy
May Be an Option
for Labor Pain
Management
A study exploring the impact
of aromatherapy with lavender
essence on labor pain severity
and duration of labor affirmed the
therapeutic analgesic efficacy of
lavender essence aromatherapy
for women in labor. Published
in Complementary Therapies in
Clinical Practice, this single-blind,
randomized clinical trial was
conducted on 120 pregnant
women in two groups. The
experimental group received
two drops of lavender essence
inhaled at three stages (4–5,
6–7, 8–9 centimeters cervical
dilation), and severity of the
labor pain and duration of labor
was measured before and after
intervention. The control group
was treated with distilled water
as a placebo in a similar way.
The results showed that
the difference in the labor pain
before and after intervention in
the two groups was significant.
But there was no difference in
average duration of the active
phase and the second stage of
labor between the two groups.
