Virtual Reality Intervention for Normal Labor Pain Management in Multiparous Parturients: a promising nonpharmacological pain relief method with extended effect

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacological intervention for labor pain management in a case control setting Methods A prospective case control study was conducted including 82 laboring women who met the inclusion criteria of being at least 37 weeks pregnant and in the active phase of labor (4–5 cm dilatation). Participants were assigned to either the VR group (n = 40) or the control group (n = 42). The VR intervention consisted of 30 minutes of immersive natural scenes paired with either music or Qur'an recitation, depending on patient preference. Pain was measured using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) at baseline, during the first and second stages of labor, and in the early postpartum period. Results No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of baseline characteristics. Following the VR intervention, a significant reduction in pain was observed in the VR group compared to the control group during the first stage of labor (NRS: mean difference = 1.43, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.88, p < 0.001; VRS: mean difference = 0.53, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.27, p < 0.001). During the second stage of labor, the VR group continued to experience significantly lower pain scores compared to controls (NRS: mean difference = 0.60, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.07, p = 0.015; VRS: mean difference = 0.38, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.66, p = 0.007). There was no significant difference in pain scores between the two groups during the third stage of labor. Only one participant in the VR group reported mild nausea after the intervention. Conclusions Virtual reality has shown promising potential as a method of non-pharmalogical pain relief during childbirth. This study demonstrates that VR use in the first stage of labor as a method to support relaxation and distraction in multiparous parturients from pain and surroundings not only reduced pain scores in the first stage of labor but had an extended effect into the second stage as well, even after discontinuation of the intervention.