Effects of Acupressure at The Hugo Point(LI4) on Labor Pain And Duration of Delivery in Nulliparous Women

Pain is a common phenomenon and an inevitable part of childbirth process. There is an increasing emphasis on intrapartum pain management. However, because of potential side-effects of drugs, it is important to use nonpharmacologic pain-relieving measures. Acupressure is one of the non-pharmaceutical methods. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupressure at the hugo point on labor pain and length of delivery time in nulliparous women. This clinical trial was performed on 60 eligible nulliparas women. The women were randomly assigned to either the case or control group. The participants received acupressure or touch on LI4 acupoint on two hands. Data were collected by means of questionnaires. Labor pain was measured four times using a structured questionnaire, a subjective labor pain scale [VAS]), before and after the intervention in 4, 6, 8 and 10 cm cervical dilation. Length of delivery time was calulated in two stages. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistical, paired t-test, chi square and independent t-tests. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the severity of the first stage pain post-intervention in both the case and control groups. However, severity of labor pain increased with more progress of the labor in both the groups, but in the case group, this increase was significantly less in the control group, (p=0). Also, in this group, in4, 6 and 8 cervical dilation, there was a significant difference between the mean of the pain before and after the intervention (p=0).Comparing duration of first stage of labor between the case and control groups, it was found out that the two groups had significant difference (p=0). There was a significant difference in the duration of the active phase of labor and length of delivery time between the groups (p=0). Discussion & Hugo-point acupressure resulted in significant pain relief in the first stage of labor and shortening the length of delivery time. No obvious adverse effects were observed in maternal and neonatal outcome.