Transcutaneous nerve stimulation for pain relief during labour: a controlled study

Abstract

Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TNS) was applied to 100 parturients with a view of decreasing pain during labour. A control group of 100 parturients was randomly selected. Two hours after delivery the mothers and their midwives independently completed questionnaires regarding the pain which was subjectively quantified, during the different stages of labour. The distribution of age and parity of the mothers, the duration of labour, and Apgar score of the neonates at one minute were comparable in the two groups. The desire for and administration of analgesic agents was equal in each group. Significantly more mothers in the TNS group reported that labour had been moderately or intensively painful compared to the control group during cervical dilatation from 1--7 cm. After this degree of dilation the subjective judgement regarding pain were the same in both groups. The expectation of pain during labour, as well as the experience of pain compared to expectation, was similar in both groups. Thirty-one of the mothers in the TNS group considered the pain relieving affect of the TNS good and 55 considered it moderate. Thirty-two of the mothers in the TNS group wanted a more efficient analgesic method for the next labour.