An interventional study of Music in Fear of Childbirth, sponsored by Helsinki University Central Hospital. Status unknown at 1 site in Finland. Open to female participants. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2012-09-19.
Sponsored by Helsinki University Central Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The aim of this trial is to find out if active music listening during pregnancy and delivery reliefs fear of childbirth, pain in delivery, need for analgesia during delivery and if there is an effect on delivery complications. Also we try to find out if there is any influence on mother-baby relationship.
In Finland fear of childbirth is one of the common reasons for consultation of obstetrician and mother´s demand on elective caesarean section. Approximately 5-8% of pregnant women suffer from severe fear of childbirth, which disturbs their family-life and working and prevents normal preparation to childbirth and parenthood.
Listening or playing music is very common in all cultures. Even fetuses are able to hear and recognize music and babies are interested in voices and sounds of music.
Music therapy has been used in other purposes widely. It is known that music stimulates the synthesis of dopamine in brain and it has been shown that music has an influence on hypertensive rats, lowering their blood pressure. In human beings there has been pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain. It has also been shown that music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke.
A strong attachment between mother and infant is essential to child's normal developement. Mothers who suffer from very strong fear of childbirth often have difficulties in mother-infant relationship and pronounced risk of puerperal depression.
Many features in listening and playing music have something to do in bonding together in societies. Lullabies are good example of communication between parent and infant.
There has been some trials about music therapy and pregnancy but not systematic randomized trials about listening to music and its influence on pain experience, length of delivery or complications of delivery. Music has a relaxing influence on human beings and we assume that it has a positive influence on pregnant women also.
We try to find out if active listening to music has any influence on physical and mental wellbeing of pregnant women or is there any influence on fear of childbirth, outcome of delivery or mother-baby relationship.
Pregnant women referred to the outpatient clinic because of fear of childbirth have also normal appointments with obstetrician and/or midwife as needed and participating this trial has no influence on those appointments.
Helsinki University Central Hospital is the lead sponsor of 299 studies on the registry; 60 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients referred to the motherhood out-patient clinic because of fear of childbirth. Advised to active music listening. Followed up by weekly and monthly diaries and three questionnaires (when recruiting, just after the delivery and 6 months after the delivery).
Behavioral: Music
Patients referred to the motherhood out-patient clinic because of fear of childbirth. No intervention. Followed up by three questionnaires (when recruiting, just after the delivery and 6 months after the delivery).
300 nulliparous women recruited from the ultrasound screening. Advised to active music listening. Three questionnaires like the other arms, weekly and monthly diaries like the other music group. Screening questionnaires about fear of childbirth.
Behavioral: Music
300 nulliparous women recruited from ultrasound screening. No intervention. 3 Questionnaires as all the other groups. Screening questionnaire about fear of childbirth.
spontaneous vaginal delivery
delivery data collected from the patient records afterwards
Time frame: day of delivery
Delivery satisfaction
specific questionnaires
Time frame: within three days after delivery (before leaving the postpartum ward)
early mother-infant relationship
specific questionnaires
Time frame: 6 months after delivery
mental wellbeing
specific questionnaires and diaries
Time frame: during pregnancy and up to 6 months after delivery
This study is status unknown, as verified in Sep 2012. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Helsinki University Central Hospital