Music for people admitted to labor and delivery.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Music Use in Parturients Admitted to Labor & Delivery

Not applicable Interventional Tufts Medical Center · NCT06969105

This trial will test whether listening to your preferred music for 10 minutes during labor can lower anxiety or pain and improve satisfaction.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment106 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexFemale
SponsorTufts Medical Center Academic / other
Locations1 site (Boston, Massachusetts)
Trial IDNCT06969105 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This randomized study compares a 10-minute session of a participant's preferred music played on a speaker to a no-music control in the labor and delivery unit. Participants are randomly assigned, the team confirms volume and comfort, leaves the room for 10 minutes, and then collects follow-up data. Investigators measure self-reported anxiety, pain, and satisfaction at several timepoints and extract clinical data such as vital signs and cervical dilation from the chart. Key eligibility includes adults in labor or scheduled for induction who can consent and who do not have impaired hearing or daily anxiolytic use.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Pregnant people aged 18 or older who are in labor or scheduled for induction, medically ASA II–III, able to consent, and without hearing impairment or daily anxiolytic use are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People with impaired hearing, those taking daily anxiolytic medications, those with severe psychiatric disorders, or cases of intrauterine fetal demise may not receive benefit from this intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a simple, low‑risk way to reduce anxiety and pain and improve childbirth satisfaction.

How similar studies have performed: Previous smaller trials and meta-analyses suggest music can reduce anxiety and pain during labor, but results have been mixed and further controlled work is needed.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Age: 18 years or older
* Laboring parturients or those scheduled for an induction of labor
* Able to provide informed consent
* American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status rating of II-III

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient refusal
* Impaired hearing
* Patient is taking at least one anxiolytic medication daily at baseline
* Intrauterine fetal demise
* Severe psychiatric disorder

Where this trial is running

Boston, Massachusetts

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions AnxietyPainPatient Satisfactionmusiclabor and deliveryparturientsanxietyanalgesia
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.