| Summary: | <i>Background and Objective:</i> The study of music therapy in labor is unknown. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy to manage pain and anxiety during labor. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> A search strategy was used with PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane, TRIPDATABASE, and Google Scholar. The selection criteria were based on randomized clinical trials; quasi-experimental research on pain intensity and anxiety during labor was evaluated. The primary outcomes were measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). A meta-analysis of the fixed effects was performed using mean differences (MD). Twelve studies were included for the final analysis, six (778 women) of which were meta-analyzed. <i>Results:</i> Decreased VAS scores for pain intensity associated with music therapy were found in the latent (MD: −0.73; 95% CI −0.99; −0.48) and active (MD: −0.68; 95% CI −0.92; –0.44) phases of labor. VAS scores for anxiety decreased both in the latent (MD: −0.74; 95% CI −1.00; −0.48) and active (MD: −0.76; 95% CI −0.88; −0.64) phases. <i>Conclusion:</i> Music therapy seems to have beneficial effects on pain intensity and anxiety during labor, especially for women giving birth for the first time. However, the evidence is qualified as low.
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