COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION WITH THOSE OF PHARMACEUTICAL HYOSCINE- PROMETHAZINE COMPOUND ON PAIN INTENSITY DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF LABOR

Several physical and psychological factors affect the severity and duration of
labor pain. Factors such as maternal age, parity, cervical position at the onset of labor, and the
relationship between the size and position of the embryo with the size of the canal of delivery are
important factors in the severity of labor pain. Effective psychosocial factors that may affect physical
factors include fear, anxiety, cultural beliefs and companionship in the delivery room. The severity of
pain varies from one person to another, and according to published reports, 15% have mild pain, 35%
have moderate pain, 30% have severe pain, and 20% have reported uncommitted pain. Considering the
painful nature of labor, the present study was conducted to compare the effect of TENS with hyoscinepromethazine on reducing the frequency of labor pain in the active phase of labor.
Materials & Methods: By a clinical ergometric method, this research was done on 84 eligible pregnant
women (42 in TENS group; 42 in hyoscine- promethazine group) referring to Shahid Chamran Hospital
of Kangavar city. When active phase of labor began, 20 mg of hyoscine and 25 mg of promethazine
were simultaneously administered to the medication group intramuscularly. For TENS group, TENS
device was used, with a pair of upper electrodes being between L1-T10 and a pair of lower ones between
S2-S4 on both sides of spinal column. Pain scores were studied under per- and post- intervention
conditions for 2 groups. Collected data was analyzed by using SPSS software, chi- square test and
independent t-test at p<0.05.
Results: Two groups were tested for variables of age, body mass index (BMI), pregnancy age, dilatation
at the time of admission, exhibiting no significant differences (p>0.05). The means of contraction
duration (p>0.05) and of contraction number (p>0.05) did not differ significantly for 2 groups. But
results from comparison of the mean pain scares of 2 groups of studied pregnant women showed that it
was significantly lower for TENS group throughout active labor phase at different dilatations than for
the other group (hyoscine- promethazine) (p<0.05).
Conclusion: TENS relieves labor pain; therefore, it is recommended to use it for this purpose