SynthesisEthiopian journal of health sciences2020
The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in the Management of Labor Pain and Anxiety: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Ethiopian journal of health sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 31 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of Inhaler Lavender and Frankincense Aromatherapy on Pain and Anxiety in Patients Undergoing SWL.
Does Aromatherapy Improve Mood and Reduce Pain in Women After Scheduled Cesarean Procedures?
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inhalation aromatherapy for the treatment of comorbid insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Aromatherapy on Physical and Mental Health of Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy and/or Chemotherapy: A Meta-Analysis.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The Effects of Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Depression in People With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- "Comparative effects of rotational effleurage and connective tissue massage on labor pain, duration, and perineal outcomes in pregnant women": a randomized clinical trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Reducing Labor Anxiety with Auriculotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2022Trial
- Aromatherapy for Labour Pain Management: Umbrella Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- Network analysis and trajectories of maternal emotional symptoms during labor.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Aromatherapy and Essential Oils: Holistic Strategies in Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Integral Wellbeing.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Synergistic Potential of Trikatu Essential Oil as an Aromatherapy Agent: A Chemical and Mechanistic Review.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- Exploration of the Mechanism of Tongmai Xianxiang in Treating Postherpetic Neuralgia Based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Network Pharmacology.International journal of genomics · 2025Article
- Benefits of Complementary Therapies During Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum Period: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Effects of Warm Compresses on the Perineal Area During the Active Phase of Labor: A Quasi-Experimental Study.Cureus · 2024Article
- Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Pinaceae Species.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Non-surgical nursing care for tumor patients: an overview of sedation, analgesia, and recent innovations.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
- A Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches for Managing Labour Pain Using Synthetic Drugs and Natural Therapies.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2024Review
- Effect of lite touch on the anxiety of low-risk pregnant women in the latent phase of childbirth: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Inhalation ofPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The effectiveness of aromatherapy in the management of labor pain: A meta-analysis.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAromatherapy as an alternative and complementary medicine is a well-known method for reducing the symptoms of various physiological processes such as labor experience. The aim of this study was to systematically review the currently available evidences evaluating the use of aromatherapy for management of labor pain and anxiety.
methodsIn a systematic review, 5 databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scientific Information Database [SID]) were searched, from database inception up to December 2019. Keywords used included (aromatherapy OR ""essential oil" OR "aroma*") AND (pain OR anxiety) AND (labor OR delivery). Using the Cochrane Collaboration's 'Risk of bias' method; the risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated.
resultsA total of 33 studies were verified to meet our inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies were conducted in Iran. Aromatherapy was applied using inhalation, massage, footbath, birthing pool, acupressure, and compress. The most popularly used essential oil in the studies was lavender (13 studies), either as a single essential oil or in a combination with other essential oils. Most of included studies confirmed the positive effect of aromatherapy in reducing labor pain and anxiety.
conclusionThe evidences from this study suggest that aromatherapy, as a complementary and alternative modality, can help in relieving maternal anxiety and pain during labor.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.