Acupuncture for Labor Pain

Electroacupuncture may help reduce pain during labor, researchers report in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine.

In the study, 350 women in labor were randomly divided into three groups. The first group underwent electroacupuncture on the point Sanyinjiao (SP6). The second group underwent sham electroacupuncture, and the third group served as the control and did not receive acupuncture.

The women rated their labor pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS). The researchers also recorded various labor and delivery outcomes, such as uterine contraction regularity, potpartum bleeding, milk secretion and neonate body weight and height.

The researchers found that labor pain was significantly less in the electroacupuncture group compared to the control group. The other outcome measures were similar among the groups. No adverse effects were reported during labor.

References
1.Ma W, Bai W, Lin C, et al. Effects of Sanyinjiao (SP6) with electroacupuncture on labour pain in women during labour. Complement Ther Med. 2011 Jan;19 Suppl 1:S13-8. View Abstract
2.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/

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