Sniffing away labor pain: aromatherapy put to the test

NCT ID NCT03098212

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 ยท Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at whether aromatherapy can help lower pain for women during childbirth. 94 first-time mothers with a single baby and no major complications were randomly assigned to receive either aromatherapy plus standard pain control or standard pain control alone. Researchers measured pain levels at different stages of labor and tracked how much additional pain medication was requested.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

94 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2015

Finished

Dec 2016

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Singleton pregnancy * Nulliparous * 37 complete weeks of gestation * Cephalic presentation * No emergency obstetric complication * In labor Exclusion Criteria: * Medical or obstetric complication preclude vaginal delivery * Essential oil allergy * Side effect of aromatherapy

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Pain are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.