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Antenatal self-hypnosis for labour and childbirth: a pilot study
A M Cyna1, M I Andrew, G L McAuliffe
1Department of Women's Anaesthesia, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
|August 18, 2006
Summary
Antenatal self-hypnosis training for childbirth preparation reduced epidural use and labor augmentation among nulliparous women. These findings support hypnosis as a beneficial tool for labor and delivery.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Background:
- Antenatal training in self-hypnosis has been utilized for over three years to promote relaxation, anxiolysis, and analgesia during labor.
- Assessing the impact of hypnotherapy on childbirth outcomes is crucial for understanding its role in prenatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of antenatal self-hypnosis training on labor and delivery outcomes.
- To compare birth outcomes of women using hypnosis with matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection on women taught self-hypnosis between August 2002 and August 2004.
- Comparison of birth outcomes with retrospective data from parity and gestational age matched controls delivering after 37 weeks gestation in 2003.
Main Results:
- Seventy-seven women receiving antenatal self-hypnosis were compared to 3,249 matched controls.
- Nulliparous women using antenatal self-hypnosis had lower epidural use (36% vs. 53%) and less need for labor augmentation (18% vs. 36%).
Conclusions:
- Clinical findings align with meta-analyses indicating positive outcomes from hypnosis in childbirth.
- Further adequately powered, randomized trials are necessary to confirm the effects of hypnosis preparation for childbirth.
