The Joys of the TENS
“OK… here we go”, she manages to squeak out.
She inhales a large forceful breath as she pushes the small, purple, oval BOOST button. Her partner begins to rub her shoulders and her birth doula quietly counts through the peak of her contraction, reminding her to breathe deeply. As the wave of tightness in her abdomen begins to release, she pushes the small, purple button again to rest and recharge as she knows the next wave will soon be coming once again. Knowing when it does, she be encouraged by her birth team and will push the BOOST button on her TENS unit to allow the gentle nerve impulses to help her focus and encourage her own body’s endorphins as she looks forward to meeting her sweet baby soon.
TENS units, short for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, is a handheld, battery-operated device that generates electrical impulses and transmits them via stimulating pads. They have been used since the 1970’s for many acute and chronic pain conditions such as labor, post-surgical pain, muscle ailments and other soft tissue disorders. The reason that TENS is effective depends on if you are using it with low intensity or high intensity. Low intensity TENS works to relieve pain based upon the Gate Control Theory of Pain which basically says that there is only so much pain-related information that the body can transmit to the brain. By introducing low intensity sensations, it fills part of the “pipe” with non-painful stimuli and helps to decrease the overall amount of pain that the brain is aware of. High intensity TENS works to relive pain based upon Noxious Inhibitory Control which helps to relieve pain by creating another source of pain in the body in addition to labor. This new pain source triggers the body to create endorphins which is our body’s natural pain relief. During labor, a person already produces high levels of endorphins, and the stimulation of the TENS increases this hormone level even more.
While using a TENS unit doesn’t prevent someone from getting medical pain relief, such as an epidural, research does show that it can help women delay the decision to get an epidural. Research (Kaplan et al, 1998) also shows that it decreases anxiety and the production of catecholamines (stress hormones) which can allow labors to be shorter overall!
Some of the MANY benefits to using a TENS unit in labor are:
No reports of any harm to birthing parent or baby.
TENS unit can be used with other palliative and comfort measures.
Allows for ambulation and movement.
TENS unit is controlled by the birthing person
TENS is encouraged to be used at the beginning of labor, allowing for relaxation and comfort from the onset of symptoms.
Can everyone use a TENS unit for their labor? So glad you asked! The answer is almost everyone can! The contraindications for use of a TENS unit in labor are:
Not before the person is full term, especially in a high-risk pregnancy
Not on inflamed or injured skin; on a rash, etc.
Not with a cardiac pacemaker.
Not if the laboring person has a seizure disorder.
Using a TENS can provide a positive and comfortable relaxation to your labor, and requires very little extra to be useful. Maryland Birth Services, LLC provides a unit to each of their birth clients at no cost! Units can also be rented for a fee for anyone outside of the MBS family.
Contact us to talk further or to request your TENS unit for labor.