26437529
OBJECTIVE	To evaluate the benefit of aromatic therapy using menthol for decrease pain perception during amniocentesis .
METHODS	A prospective randomized study was conducted to compare pain level between groups ofpregnant women who underwent amniocentesis with and without aromatic therapy using menthol .
METHODS	Visual analogue scale ( VAS ) was usedfor pain assessment .
METHODS	The participants were askedfor their anticipated pain and anxiety level and level ofpain before and immediately after the procedure .
RESULTS	Three hundred seventeen pregnant women were recruited into the present study , 158 in the menthol group and 159 in the non-menthol group .
RESULTS	Mean VAS score of the post-procedure pain and anxiety did not differ significantly between the two groups .
RESULTS	Mean VAS score of the anticipated pain influenced the mean VAS score of the pre-procedure anxiety and post-procedure pain and anxiety irrespective of the group .
RESULTS	Mean VAS score of the pre-procedure anxiety and post-procedure pain and anxiety increased about 0.3 cm for each 1 cm of increasing mean VAS score of anticipated pain .
CONCLUSIONS	Aromatic therapy using menthol was not significantly effective in reducing pain and anxiety during second trimester genetic amniocentesis .

