No benefit from acupuncture during labour
Wednesday April 28th, 2010
Acupuncture may not be a good way to manage pain during labour, researchers report today.
Dr Hyangsook Lee of Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea, and colleagues explain that acupuncture started to be used in labour in the 1970s, but the benefits are still unconfirmed. The team reviewed the research evidence on women who received acupuncture alone, or acupuncture and a conventional form of pain relief in labour.
They took
figures from ten trials which had a large variation in results. Analysis
found "little convincing evidence that women who had acupuncture
experienced less labour pain than those who received no pain relief, a
conventional analgesia, a placebo or sham acupuncture".
However, women receiving acupuncture asked for less meperidine (pethidine) or other forms of analgesia. Full results are published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr Lee said: "In our previous systematic review of three randomised controlled trials in 2004, acupuncture appeared to be a promising analgesic option for women in labour.
"However, in this review, there was no convincing evidence that women receiving acupuncture experience less labour pain than those in the control groups. Acupuncture might reduce the use of other forms of pain relief such as meperidine, but the evidence is limited."
Journal editor, Professor Philip Steer, added: "Generally, the consensus is that the evidence does not support its use. In contrast, there is good evidence showing a benefit from emotional support during labour, so we should concentrate our efforts on making sure that all women have the benefit of one to one care at this crucial time."
Cho, S. H., Lee, H. and Ernst, E. Acupuncture for pain relief in labour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2010.
Tags: Alternative Therapy | Asia | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Nursing & Midwifery | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
Printer friendly page