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Acupuncture in Pregnancy

This section is intended to tell you more about receiving acupuncture in pregnancy. Many women now know that acupuncture can be very helpful for morning sickness, but that is often as far as their knowledge extends. So please read on, and I will try to answer some of the most common questions.

Firstly, acupuncture is a safe, drug-free treatment ideally suited to pregnancy, and it is actually capable of dealing with a multitude of conditions which can arise. Complaints commonly treated include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, insomnia, heartburn, constipation, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, lower back pain, sciatica, symphysis pubis pain, itching, anxiety and depression. There are also other conditions about which women enquire. Breech presentation is one, and provided a case seems suitable, I will show women a treatment they can then continue to administer themselves at home; this should be done from week 34. (See research below:”Treatment of Breech Presentation”.) Prebirth treatments are another: beginning by week 36, these are given on a weekly basis to prepare in body and mind for labour, and specifically to help prepare the cervix and pelvis.

Towards the end of pregnancy I can also teach you and your partner, some simple acupressure techniques for use from 36 weeks onwards: the application of finger or thumb pressure to specific acupuncture points can help your body prepare for labour, enhance contractions, help dilation, and assist delivery of the placenta. These are safe, comfortable techniques, which are also used and taught by midwives at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where as a result, partners have consistently reported feeling more involved and useful in the birth.

Your midwife remains at all times the person ultimately responsible for the care of you and your baby, and I always encourage women to let their midwife know they are receiving acupuncture. There are occasions in pregnancy where I might ask you to refer specific matters to her for further advice, and so we remain alert to such situations arising.

Finally, does acupuncture treatment differ when it is given in pregnancy? In my own practice, there are four broad differences: I reduce the number of needles I use in each session; I devise a generally more gentle treatment; there exist a few acupuncture points which it is considered best practice not to use in pregnancy; especially as pregnancy progresses, I have to pay increasing attention to patient comfort (treatment position, room temperature etc.).

I hope this has answered some of your basic questions, and as usual, you are welcome to call for further information. Meanwhile, below you will find the results of some research conducted into acupuncture in pregnancy.

Acupuncture supports Breastfeeding

The results of a pilot study by Italian researchers, suggest that acupuncture can support women in maintaining breastfeeding for longer. Ninety women were randomly allocated to receive either acupuncture or simple observation. The acupuncture group received treatment twice a week for three weeks. The observation group made weekly visits to the clinic for a midwife to observe breastfeeding and give routine care.

After three weeks, 100% of women in the acupuncture group were breastfeeding exclusively, whereas only 60% of women in the observation group were doing so. At the point at which the babies were three months old, there remained a significant difference between the two groups, with breastfeeding continuing at 35% in the acupuncture group, and 15% in the observation group.

(Acupuncture Treatment as Breastfeeding Support: Preliminary Data. Journal of Altern Complementary Med, Feb 2011.)

Acupuncture helps Depression in Pregnancy

A new American study has shown acupuncture to be effective for depression in pregnancy. A total of 150 pregnant women who had already been diagnosed with major depression, were randomly allocated to one of three groups: acupuncture treatment specifically for depression, control acupuncture, or massage, all delivered over eight weeks.

Women who received specific acupuncture, experienced a more rapid decrease in symptom severity compared to those in the control groups. They also showed a significantly greater overall response rate (63%) compared to control acupuncture alone (37%). The authors conclude that the results achieved with acupuncture, are similar to those achieved with standard depression treatments of similar duration.

(Acupuncture for Depression during Pregnancy: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Obstet & Gynaecol. March 2010.)

Treatment of Breech Presentation

The use of a technique adjunctive to acupuncture, to turn breech babies, has been investigated by researchers at Thames Valley University.

The technique, known as moxibustion, involves the burning of a herb to gently warm an acupuncture point on the little toe, and has been routinely practised by acupuncturists for centuries. In China, mothers with a breech baby practise this in their own homes, whereas in the UK, mothers who are aware of the technique, will consult a private acupuncturist.

This study enrolled 76 women who had presented at private acupuncture practices across the UK, and who were between the 32nd and 38th week of pregnancy. Acupuncturists instructed the women in the use of a standardised procedure to undertake at home daily for seven days.

Of the 62 women on whom full data was available at the end of the study, 44.7% experienced a turning of their baby. Best results seemed to be obtained when the treatment was administered in the afternoon. The authors conclude that moxibustion can bring about spontaneous version from breech to cephalic presentation, and can therefore provide this group of women with an option for a vaginal birth.

(Management of Breech Presentation with the use of Moxibustion in Women in the UK. The European Journal of Oriental Medicine Vol 6 no1.)

Acupuncture relieves Dyspepsia in Pregnancy

Researchers in Brazil have shown that acupuncture may help relieve dyspepsia in pregnancy. Forty-two pregnant women with dyspepsia, were randomly allocated to receive either acupuncture or standard care. The acupuncture group exhibited significant improvements, and also used less medication.

(Acupuncture for Dyspepsia in Pregnancy: A Prospective Randomised Controlled Study. Acupunct Medicine June 2009.)