The effect of date palm sap on the length of active phase of labor, anxiety, and labor pain: a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Aim: Reducing the length of labor, pain, and anxiety during labor is one of the main goals of safe delivery. There are new controversial findings regarding the effect of the date on anxiety, pain, and length of labor. The present study evaluated the effect of date palm sap on anxiety during labor, pain, and length of labor in primiparous women.Methods: Sixty primiparous women were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups using the balanced blocking randomization method. From the beginning of the active phase of labor until its end, the intervention group received 15 ml of date palm sap, and the control group took 15 ml of sugar and water solution per hour. The length of the active phase of labor was determined using vaginal examinations. The severity of pain and anxiety was measured using the visual analog scale. The data were analyzed using a t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of variance at the significant level of 0.05.Results: Compared to the control group, the mean duration of the active phase of labor was significantly shorter in the intervention group (P < .05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean scores of pain and anxiety (P > .05).Conclusions: The results showed that the consumption of date palm sap could reduce the length of the active phase; therefore, indirectly shortening labor can reduce the number of hours that the mother endures pain and anxiety.