Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain

Aims and Background: Pain is an inevitable part of the childbirth process. Nowadays non-pharmacological methods such as acupuncture are considered for labor pain relief, due to their lower side effects. So this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Auriculotherapy on pain intensity during the active phase of labor. Materials and Methods: This was a clinical trial on 80 nulliparous-women who were admitted to Sina Hospital. 40 women were assigned to the Auriculotherapy group and 40 women were assigned to the control group .The technique of Auriculotherapy was applied by the researcher at dilatations of 4, 6 and 8 cm in the intervention group. Pain intensity was measured by Visual Analogue Scale in two groups. Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney and Chi-square test, using the SPSS version 21. Findings: The results showed that mean pain intensity at different stages of dilatation was significantly decreased in the group receiving Auriculotherapy compared with the control group (P<0/05). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that Auriculotherapy is a simple, safe and cost-effective method to reduce pain in the active phase of labor. Using this method is recommended in low-risk and physiologic deliveries.