The association between women's use of HypnoBirthing and maternal labour analgesia use and mode of birth: A retrospective propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND

HypnoBirthing is a birth preparation course combining physiological birth information and hypnosis techniques. There is little evidence demonstrating the effect of HypnoBirthing on pharmacological analgesia use or mode of birth.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate if the use of HypnoBirthing during labour affects the likelihood of epidural analgesia, other analgesia use, and birth mode.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort design provided data for women with a singleton pregnancy planning a vaginal birth from January 2011 to June 2024. Propensity score matching was used to create equally sized groups based on use of HypnoBirthing. The primary outcome was use of epidural analgesia. The associations with outcomes of interest were estimated in the matched cohort using multivariable analysis and stratified by parity.

FINDINGS: Following propensity score adjustment of 1322 pairs (885 paired nulliparous; 437 paired multiparous) HypnoBirthing was associated with a significant reduction in epidural analgesia use in nulliparous (OR. 0.50 [95% CI 0.41-0.63]) and multiparous women (OR 0.48 [95% CI 0.35-0.67]). In nulliparous and multiparous women, the use of HypnoBirthing was also associated with a significant reduction in odds of caesarean section birth (nulliparous OR 0.93 [95% CI 0.55-0.88]; multiparous OR 0.41 [95% CI 0.26-0.67]). Use of water immersion increased significantly in both parities.

CONCLUSION

HypnoBirthing is associated with a significant reduction in the use of epidural analgesia, greater use of water immersion, and decreased odds of caesarean section. Our study suggests that the use of HypnoBirthing during labour can further support women's aspirations to avoid pharmacological analgesia and achieve an unassisted vaginal birth.