Abstract

Background and Aim: Pain is a common phenomenon of the labor process and use of non-pharmacological and complementary therapies to reduce labor pain has been on the rise. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of aromatherapy with rose extract and lavender on the pain in the active phase of labor in primipara women. Material and Methods: This clinical trial included 60 primiparous women referring to the maternity hospital of Amiral-Mo'menin in 1395. The women were divided into three groups. Aroma therapy with lavender and rose extracts was started at cervical dilatations of 5 to 4 cm, and repeated every 15 minutes. We used distilled water for the control group. The severity of pain was measured at cervical dilatations of 4-5, 6-7, 8-10 cm. We used an individual and a midwifery questionnaire, a check list of examination and a McGill pain questionnaire. Using spss 21 software, data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics (ANOVA with repeated observations, one-way ANOVA, covariance, chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis test). Results: There were no significant differences among the three groups in relation to the mean pain intensity before the intervention (P = 0.603). The severity of pain decreased significantly in the lavender and rose groups (P = 0.001) compared to that in the control group after the intervention (P = 0.001), and pain reduction in the lavender group was more than that in the rose group. Conclusion: Aromatherapy with lavender resulted in a more significant reduction in labor pain compared to that with rose essential oil. © 2018 the Author (s).