Acupuncture given prior to scheduled induction can significantly increase the chance of spontaneous labour, without affecting delivery outcomes or safety, suggests a study carried out by the Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine in Spain.
A total of 212 women under the care of three hospitals and who were scheduled for induction, were randomly assigned to either an acupuncture group or a control group which received no pre-labour intervention. The acupuncture group received acupuncture for a maximum of four days before their scheduled induction.
In the control group, 39.6% of patients were admitted for spontaneous onset of labour or premature rupture of membranes before or on their scheduled induction date. The equivalent figure for the acupuncture group was 65.1%. Women in the control group were admitted on average 0.67 days before their scheduled induction date, whereas for the acupuncture group, this was 1.25 days. No significant differences were observed between the groups for time from admission to delivery, caesarean rates or maternal/neonatal outcomes.
(Acupuncture before planned admission for induction of labor {ACUPUNT study}: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, October 2024.)