SynthesisPeerJ2026
Birthing balls and peanut balls for labor pain, delivery duration, and mode of delivery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: To determine the effects of birthing balls and peanut balls on labor pain, duration of labor, and mode of delivery. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE ( Results: A total of 23 studies involving 3,192 participants were included. Relative to no birthing balls, birthing balls significantly alleviated labor pain (MD: -1.81; 95% CI [-2.38 to -1.23]), shortened the duration of the first (SMD: -0.86; -1.26 to -0.45) and second (MD: -17.00 min; -26.54 to -7.46) stages of labor, and reduced the incidence of cesarean delivery (RR: 0.51; 0.37 to 0.71). Peanut balls significantly shortened the duration of the first (SMD: -0.85; -1.25 to -0.46) and second (MD: -10.90 min; -21.11 to -0.70) stages of labor, compared to no peanut balls. No other significant results were observed. Some concerns were raised and the overall quality ranged from moderate to low. Conclusions: Based on low- to moderate-quality evidence, birthing balls appear to be a potentially effective tool and may be considered by nurses and midwives to help alleviate labor pain and shorten the duration of the first and second stages of labor, thereby potentially reducing the likelihood of cesarean delivery. Low-quality evidence suggests that peanut balls could help shorten the duration of the first and second stages of labor. More well-designed studies are needed to verify the true and comparative effects of birthing and peanut balls.
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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.