Music Therapy for Labor Pain and Anxiety

Launched by UNIVERSITY TUNIS EL MANAR · Aug 17, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying whether listening to music during early and active labor can help reduce pain and anxiety for women giving birth. The study will include married Tunisian women who are having a normal, low-risk pregnancy with one baby, are between 37 and 41 weeks pregnant, and are planning to deliver vaginally. To join, women must be in the early stage of labor, have attended regular prenatal check-ups, and be in good health with no serious medical or pregnancy complications.

If you take part in the study, you will be randomly assigned to either listen to music during labor or receive the usual care without music. The researchers will then measure your pain levels and anxiety to see if music helps. They will also look at how long labor lasts, the health of both mother and baby, and how satisfied you feel with your birth experience. Participation means you will be asked to complete simple questionnaires about your pain and anxiety, and you must be able to understand and give consent to join. This study is not yet open for enrollment but aims to find out if music therapy can make labor a less stressful and more comfortable experience.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Married Tunisian women with a singleton, low-risk pregnancy.
• • Admitted in the latent phase of spontaneous labor, as diagnosed by a midwife or resident.
• • Planned vaginal delivery.
• • Parity \< 4.
• • Gestational age between 37 and 41 weeks of amenorrhea.
• • Attended at least 4 prenatal consultations.
• • Normal physical and mental health status.
• • No known fetal anomalies.
• • Estimated fetal weight between 2500-4000 g.
• • Cephalic presentation.
• • Normal fetal heart rate and uterine contraction tracings.
• • Able to read, write, and understand study-related information.
• • Provided written informed consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Women who received epidural analgesia during labor.
• • Presence of auricular malformations.
• • Difficulty in understanding or completing the VAS or STAI-Y assessments.
• • Serious medical or psychiatric disorders.
• • Multiple gestation or pregnancies requiring immediate intervention.
• • Preterm (\<37 weeks) or post-term (\>41 weeks) pregnancies.
• • Premature rupture of membranes.
• • Clinical chorioamnionitis or other infections (including HIV).
• • History of severe obstetric complications (e.g., cephalopelvic disproportion, intrauterine fetal death )