Category: Pregnancy

Researchers in Iran are the latest to demonstrate how acupuncture can be of assistance in labour, by showing its use can lead to a significant shortening of the process. They randomised 63 women who were having their first child, to receive either acupuncture (32 women) at two well-known points for this purpose, or sham acupuncture (31 women) at the same points. The study was conducted at two main childbirth centres in Shiraz.

The duration of labour was found to be significantly lower in the group receiving real acupuncture (162 minutes) compared with the control group (280 minutes). Cortisol and labour pain did not vary significantly between the two groups. The authors point out that shortening the active phase of labour can decrease foetal complications such as low Apgar score, nerve injury, infections, and also maternal complications including puerperal infection and postpartum haemorrhage.

(Effects of LI-4 and SP-6 Acupuncture on Labor Pain, Cortisol Level and Duration of Labor. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, October 2015.)

A study undertaken in Spain has shown that acupuncture needling of the point Qihai, which lies just beneath the navel, can shorten the third and final stage of labour – the expulsion of the placenta. A total of 76 women who had been through a normal spontaneous hospital birth, were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture at Qihai, or sham treatment at a non-acupuncture point nearby.

Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. The acupuncture group had a mean time to placental expulsion, of 5.2 minutes. The control group had a corresponding time of 15.2 minutes. This has important implications for maternal health, since a prolonged third stage is considered a risk factor for postpartum haemorrhage. The authors say this treatment is simple, safe and inexpensive.

(Influence of acupuncture on the third stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, online 17 March 2015.)

A study undertaken at two hospitals in Sweden has found that women who received acupuncture or electroacupuncture during labour, used less epidural analgesia compared with those receiving standard care. The randomised controlled trial recruited 303 first-time mothers with normal pregnancies. They were randomised to receive 40 minutes of either acupuncture or electroacupuncture (repeated two hours later and thereafter on request), or just standard care alone.

Although subjective pain scores did not differ across the groups, whilst 70% of the standard care group had an epidural, only 61% of the acupuncture group had one, reducing further to 46% of the electroacupuncture group.

(Acupuncture with manual and electrical stimulation for labour pain: a longitudinal randomised controlled trial. BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 9 June 2014.)

The authors of a Cochrane Database systematic review have concluded that current evidence supports the use of acupuncture to help with pelvic and back pain during pregnancy. They looked at 26 randomised, controlled trials, across which a total of 4093 pregnant women had participated. Evidence of moderately good quality suggested that both acupuncture and exercise, tailored to the stage of pregnancy, can significantly reduce pelvic pain and lumbo-pelvic pain, compared with usual care alone. Two-thirds of women experience lower back pain during pregnancy, and a fifth experience pelvic pain.

(Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Systematic Review, August 2013.)

A small qualitative study carried out in a Swiss hospital, has found that women given acupuncture during labour, reported enhanced birthing experiences. Seven healthy women who had acupuncture during normal labour, were interviewed in the first month after the birth. They reported increased satisfaction with regard to pain relief and progress in labour, suggesting that midwives should discuss acupuncture with women during the antenatal period and offer it as an option during labour. The study provides a better understanding of this topic by midwives and other health professionals, and contributes to the further development of acupuncture practice during labour.

(Women’s Experiences of Acupuncture during Labour. British Journal of Midwifery, 4 April 2013.)