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Background: Numerous studies have been conducted on the effect of acupressure on labor pain, some of which have reported conflicting results. Thus, the present study was performed to critically review the previous studies related to the effect of acupressure administered during labor for relieving labor pain. Materials and Methods: In this study, databases of the Cochrane Central Register of the Controlled Trials, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from their establishment until November 5, 2019. All the Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that had compared the use of acupressure with either placebo or nonintervention for relieving the labor pain were included in the study. Meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software Version 2. The random-effects model was used for pooling the effect sizes across the included studies. The p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Totally, 5853 primary papers were identified in the search, which were narrowed down to 22 studies. The results of meta-analysis showed that the acupressure decreased the labor pain in the intervention group vs. control (-1.67 [-2.29 to -1.05], z = -5.25, p < 0. 001) (Q-value = 788.98, p < 0.001, I-squared = 96.83). No publication bias was found in the included studies (Egger's regression intercept = -1.02, p = 0.76). Conclusions: Although the findings of this meta-analysis showed that the acupressure significantly reduced the labor pain during the active phase of labor compared to the nonintervention or placebo; considering that the quality of the included studies was generally moderate, rigorous RCTs with better design and higher quality are needed to obtain definitive conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Normal physiologic childbirth program was implemented in mother-friendly hospitals of Iran after 2008. The aim of present study is to assess the effect of normal physiologic childbirth program in a mother-friendly hospital on duration of active phase and second stage of labor. Methods: This study was a clinical trial that was conducted at the Sina and Ommolbanin mother-friendly hospitals in Ahvaz, Mashhad, Iran, in 2016. The intervention group of 77 women was offered the childbirth preparation classes during pregnancy and normal physiologic childbirth program during labor and the control group of 77 women received routine care. Results: The results showed that after controlling the confounding factors, the active phase and second stage of labor were significantly shorter in the intervention group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Complete implementation of normal physiologic childbirth program can reduce the duration of labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the effects of hyoscine-N-butyl bromide (HBB) rectal suppository on labor progress in primigravid women. Methods: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out on 130 primigravid women admitted for spontaneous labor. The women were recruited based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomized into the experimental (n = 65) and control group (n = 65). In the beginning of the active phase of labor, 20 mg of HBB rectal suppository was administered to the experimental group, while a placebo suppository was administered to the control group. Cervical dilatation and duration of active phase and second stage of labor were recorded. Results: The rate of cervical dilatation was 2.6 cm/h in the experimental and 1.5 cm/h in the control group (P < 0.001). The active phase and the second stage of labor were significantly shorter in the experimental group (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the fetal heart rate, maternal pulse rate, blood pressure, and the APGAR score 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Conclusion: Use of HBB rectal suppository in the active management of labor can shorten both the active phase and second stage of labor without significant side-effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Performing sacral massage during the childbirth process can provide numerous benefits due to its potential to alleviate stress and exhaustion. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of sacral massage in pregnant women during labor., Method: A comprehensive search was conducted in main databases from inception to 18th May 2024. The quality of included randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies was assessed using the Jadad Scale and the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS), respectively. All analyses were performed using the RevMan version 5.3. The GRADEpro GDT tool was utilized to determine the level of certainty of the evidence., Findings: Nine articles were included in the systematic review and eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. The findings showed that in the sacral massage group, the labor pain intensity was significantly decreased (SMD= -2.40, 95 % CI -3. 5 to -1.29, p<0.0001, I² = 97 %). The findings also showed that sacral massage does not significantly alter the length of the first labor stage (MD=-0.04, 95 % CI -0.27 to 0.20, p = 0.77, I² = 0 %) and the total duration of labor (MD= -0.56, 95 % CI -1.66, 0.55,p = 0.32, I² = 90 %). The certainty of evidence for labor pain was moderate and for duration of the first stage and total duration of labor were very low., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that sacral massage was an effective, non-pharmacologic method that significantly alleviating pain in women during childbirth. As a result, this intervention can be implemented in clinical settings during labor., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)