• D Carroll, M Tramèr, H McQuay, B Nye, and A Moore.
• Pain Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, UK.
• Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1997 Feb 1;104(2):169-75.

ObjectiveTo review the effectiveness and safety of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for labour pain.DesignA systematic review of randomised controlled trials of TENS in pain during labour.SampleEight reports involving 712 women were included; 352 women received active TENS and 360 acted as controls.MethodsReports were sought by searching MEDLINE and the Oxford Pain Relief Database.Main Outcome MeasuresAnalgesic and adverse effect outcomes.ResultsEvidence for reduced pain using TENS in labour was weak. Additional analgesic interventions may be less likely with TENS (odds ratio 0.57; 95% CI 0.34-0.96), number-needed-to-treat 14 (95% CI 7.3-119).ConclusionsRandomised controlled trials provide no compelling evidence for TENS having any analgesic effect during labour. Weak positive effects in secondary (analgesic sparing) and tertiary (choosing TENS for future labours) outcomes may be due to inadequate blinding causing overestimation of treatment effects.

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