ABSTRACT
To review the effectiveness and safety of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS] for pain relief during labour. TENS in a very simple term is a method utilizes small amounts of electric current applied to the skin to achieve pain relief. A small battery-powered current generator is used and attached to the skin by two electrodes. The stimulation provided by this is not painful but may cause a tingling sensation. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology of El Mataryia Teaching Hospital and a private hospital. Patients and The study group consisted of 60 women, full term with parity between 2 and 4, all of whom used the TENS device pain relief during labour. The criteria for inclusion were willingness to try TENS and ability to understand the procedure. Outcome Measures: Analgesic and adverse effect outcomes. Result The majority of subjects [45%] rated TENS as moderately and [30%] as excellent effective pain relieving. Forty four percent among moderately pain relieving received additional analgesic. Most of the participants expressed a willingness to use TENS if they gave birth again. No significant difference was found in fetal heart rate tracing. TENS is an effective non-pharmacological, non-invasive adjuvant pain relief modality for use in labour. There were no adverse effects on mother or newborn