Non-pharmacological therapy to Reduce cortisol in labor: Literature review

Abstract

Labor pain and anxiety are important concerns during labor, especially among the primigravidae. It may increase the duration of labor, increase stress hormones, and affect maternal and newborn related outcomes. This study aims to determine the literature review of Non-pharmacological therapy to Reduce cortisol in labor : Literature review. Method: The literature review method with the PRISMA approach is used in this literature review. Synthesis of data using the PICO method. The source of the articles used was through Google Scholar, PubMed NCBI and EBSCO. The inclusion criteria set were articles with the keywords "“Labor”, “Cortisol”, “reducing” and “on pharmacological”, articles in Indonesian or English, published in 2012-2022, and accessible in full text. Results: 8 articles were used in the literature review. The result: In this literature review, 8 articles were found that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seven interventions stated that they could significantly reduce cortisol levels during labor through (massage, psychological support (emotional freedom technique, continuous support, mental health education), chewing mint candy and yoga exercises), while acupuncture did not have a significant impact on reducing cortisol in labor. Conclusion: Intervention efforts that show a decrease in cortisol include providing psychological support during pregnancy and childbirth, prenatal yoga, chewing mint gum and doing massage. Recommendation: We also recommend randomized controlled trials to be conducted with a larger study population to clarify the efficacy of these interventions to reduce cortisol levels in labor.