VR helps pain management and relaxation in labour and MRI scans

Virtual reality (VR) can help women manage pain in labour, a study has shown.

The study, carried out by researchers at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, included 25 pregnant women who were interviewed between one and two weeks after giving birth, 19 of whom used VR in early and active labour. The aim of the research was to explore the experiences of women using VR as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief in labour.

All study participants experienced a range of VR environments, including tropical beach scenes, underwater dolphin scenes and animal safari scenes. The researchers audio-recorded and transcribed each qualitative in-depth interview.

Using thematic analysis, the researchers identified three main themes in the interviews: VR’s impact on the labour experience, the use of VR to manage labour pain, and the challenges of using VR in labour.

The impact of VR described the potency of this approach as a distraction technique. According to the study participants, VR helped them escape from hospital environments, the boredom associated with a long, slow labour and the present reality and pain. One woman said: “…it was really nice at the beginning, I remember wearing it in the early stages of labour, I was like, oh my God, I totally forgot about the contractions, it was great… I didn’t even think about the pain, it was quite…absorbing…I just forgot about it [labour], I didn’t pay attention to it, it distracted me to an extent…”

VR was ‘positive and satisfactory’

The study participants reported experiencing relaxation, enjoyment and reduced anxiety while using VR. When it came to experiences relating to giving birth, women perceived VR as a positive and satisfactory experience. One said: “The period when I was wearing the goggles was a very happy moment in the labour experience and I remember being very relaxed…it helped that the scene which was played on the VR featured manatees which looked remarkably like my dog and that I remember making me feel very happy.”

VR was found to effectively manage labour pain by controlling participants’ breathing and providing them with a sense of control over the labour. The combination of images, sound, and the immersive experience associated with the VR environment also helped the study participants cope with and tolerate labour pain.

Some of the reported challenges associated with VR included the headset hardware, as well as the feeling of being disconnected from partners or support people. The meditation and relaxation scenes used in VR had a shorter running time, which was described as annoying by some women, as they needed to replay them constantly.

Most women reported plans to use water immersion to manage labour. As the VR headset was not waterproof, these study participants reported feeling anxious about damaging the equipment. Some participants reported that the weight of the headset restricted their movements in the birthing pool.

Despite these challenges, about 94% of women said they would be willing to use VR again in the future and to recommend it to other pregnant women.

VR helps children play games during MRI scan

In a separate study, VR has been used to help children relax while undergoing an MRI scan. The VR system is controlled by eye-tracking technology, so that children in an MRI can use their eyes to engage in the immersive VR experience.

The technology, developed by researchers at King’s College London, has been tested on  23 children aged 2 to 13, allowing them to play games and watch films during MRI using only their eyes. Because MRIs are typically noisy and stressful, they can cause children to move around, leading to scan failure. The VR technology helps to calm children down and keep them still. All the child needs to do is hold their gaze on items on the screen, triggering actions like playing a game, watching a video, or interacting with their favourite cartoon character.