The degree of pain relief in labor achieved by Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and its adveersary effects were evaluated. Eighteen parturient women who delivered vaginally and received TENS during labor were studied in view of sitmulation intensity, site and degree of pain relief. The duration of labor, one and five minute Apgar score and fetal heart rates of TENS group were compared with ninety-eight cases of control group.

The results are as follows:

1) There were no statistical differences in the maternal age, gestational age and birth weight between the TENS and control groups (p>0.05).

2) In the TENS group, satisfactory pain relief was obtained by 83.4% of the parturients in the early phase and 94.4% of parturients in the late phase of labor.

3) The difference in the degree of intensity required inthe early and late phases of labor by TENS was not statistically significant (p>0.05).

4) The most common sites of labor pain in the TENS group were the lower back and suprapubic regions while pain relief occurred most frequently in the suprapubic region.

5) The mean total duration of labor, mean fetal heart rate, 1 minute and 5minute Apgar score were not statistically different between the TENS and control groups (p>0.05).

It can be concluded that TENS is a useful technique which has a relatively good effect on the pain relief during labor and very safe for the mother and the infant without significant complications.

Keywords :Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, Labor pain