Could a simple stress ball transform childbirth pain?
NCT ID NCT07011355
First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether using a stress ball during labor can reduce pain and improve the birth experience for first-time mothers. Half of the 66 participants will squeeze a stress ball during contractions, while the other half receives standard care. Researchers will measure pain levels and birth experience to see if this simple, non-drug method helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Stress ball use during labor
- What this could lead to
- If effective, stress balls could offer a simple, drug-free way to ease labor pain and improve the birth experience for first-time mothers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial, and results may not apply to all women. The stress ball may not significantly reduce pain, and its effect could be influenced by individual differences.
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
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66 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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.
The inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years; primiparity; absence of a high-risk pregnancy or chronic disease; no condition limiting communication or the provision of informed consent; a term, singleton pregnancy with a healthy fetus in vertex presentation; VAS ≥1 and voluntary agreement to participate in the study. The VAS ≥1 criterion was used solely to confirm that labour pain had begun and was not intended to represent a clinical pain threshold. The pre-randomization exclusion criteria were the presence of a hand or arm condition that could prevent stress ball use and the use of another non-pharmacological method for labour pain management (e.g., peanut ball or rebozo).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sanlıurfa Training and Research Hospital
Sanliurfa, Şanliurfa, 63300, Turkey (Türkiye)