Comparing the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and pharmaceutical hyoscine – promethazine compound on duration of the first phase of labor

Background: Delivery is an experience with full of stress, with pain, fatigue and fear. The fear of labor pain causes their tendency to cesarean section. It is believed that labor pain is the most painful pain experienced by human beings. This pain occurs at different stages of delivery. Labor duration is a factor affecting pregnancy outcomes and contributing to damages inflicted on mothers and their fetus. Present study was performed with aim of comparing effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with those of pharmaceutical hyoscine – promethazine compound on duration of the first phase of labor in 2015.

Methods: This research was done by clinical ergometric method on 84 eligible pregnant women (42 in TENS group; 42 in hyoscine – promethazine group) referring to the Martyr Chamran Hospital of Kangavar division. At the onset of active phase, medication group were injected once with 20 mg of hyoscine and 25 mg of promethazine intramuscularly simultaneously. For non – medication group, TENS device was employed, with a pair of upper electrodes being placed between L1-T10 and a pair of lower ones being placed between S2-S4 on both sides of spinal column. Two groups were tested for duration of the first phase of labor.

Results: Variables of age, body mass index(BMI), pregnancy age, dilatation of the second phase of labor and infant weight were tasted in both groups showing no significant differences in this regard (p>0.05). In the first phase of labor, no statistically significant difference was observed between 2 groups in terms of the means of contraction number means (p=0.23). But during of the first phase of labor exhibited some significant difference between 2 groups (p=0.002); in TENS group, mean duration of the first phase was shorter than hyoscine-promethazine group.

Conclusion: compared to pharmaceutical hyoscine-promethazine compound, TENS further shortened duration of the first phase of labor; therefore, it is recommended that TENS be used to shorten labor duration.