Pain relief in labour

Abstract

Pain of parturition is one of the worst types of pain that may be experienced by a human being, including pathological pain (Melzack et al., 1981). All women do not react to pain in the same manner; women with a high pain threshold might not require any form of pain relief. It is well known that anxiety, fear and apprehension exacerbate labour pain. One of the most frequent cases of anxiety and fear is ignorance or misinformation about the process of pregnancy and parturition and the significance of labour pain. A study carried out by Melzack et al., 1981, showed that pain was reduced by 30% on average in mothers who received instruction in psychoprophylaxis, i.e., those mothers who attended preparatory classes. However, in spite of this, these classes are by no means a clear substitute for artificial analgesia.