Acupuncture for pregnancy
There has recently been a wave of publicity about the use of acupuncture to improve fertility and conception, but its use in pregnancy is less widely publicised. Pregnant women are particularly highly motivated when it comes to finding drug free solutions for their health, and acupuncture is an ideal treatment for many of the conditions often regarded as part of a ‘normal’ pregnancy. Relief of conditions such as morning sickness, sciatica, back ache and symphysis pubis pain can circumvent the need for medical treatment with drugs, and can vastly improve a woman’s quality of life. As well as providing relief from these physical ailments, acupuncture also can help calm the anxieties which are natural especially early on in pregnancy and as the as the due date approaches. The acupuncturist can provide a woman with an understanding and sympathetic ear as well as being a source of useful information such as dietary advice. In Chinese medicine, of which acupuncture is a part, dietary therapy is used to help with many conditions. As acupuncture becomes more integrated into health care systems around the world, acupuncturists, midwives and doctors can liaise to ensure the best quality of care for women. Acupuncturists who are registered with the British Acupuncture Council have received the highest quality training and are aware of the signs and symptoms which will necessitate referral to a doctor. Acupuncturists should also be aware of when other holistic therapies such as reflexology, massage and homeopathy can help bring about an optimal state of well being for the pregnant woman.
Acupuncture can provide effective treatment for pregnancy – induced hypertension and can reduce the need for inductions, as it can help to induce labour naturally. The use of acupuncture as a routine pre-birth treatment can improve the chances of an efficient labour. Research has shown that acupuncture treatment reduced the amount of medical inductions from 35% to 20% in the group which had acupuncture as opposed to the control group (Rabl 2001). There are also acupuncture techniques which can correct a breech presentation (a stick of a smouldering herb known as moxa is used to warm an acupuncture point on the little toe!)
Just as importantly, acupuncture is very effective in dealing with some of the conditions which affect women in the post-natal period. ‘Mother warming’ is a treatment traditionally given around day four or five post-birth, and helps to energise the mother and aid in her recovery (as long as she does not have a temperature or is not experiencing night sweats, in which case another treatment would be used). Acupuncture can also help with persistent uterine bleeding as well as problems with breast-feeding such as insufficient lactation and mastitis. Following childbirth a woman can sometimes be faced with an overwhelming number of physical and emotional adjustments to their lives, and depression and anxiety can cast a dark cloud over a woman’s well-being. As in other areas of life excessive demands are often placed upon women with regard to recovering as quickly as possible after pregnancy. However the acupuncturist should emphasise the importance of building ones strength up again in a sustainable manner to ensure health for both mother and child.
Treatments are usually done on a weekly basis until symptoms are markedly better and then on a monthly basis until a month before the due date when the weekly pre-birth sessions start, although sometimes conditions such as morning sickness may need treating every couple of days if very severe. The first session usually lasts about an hour and a half, starting with a very thorough consultation, so that the practitioner can get a good picture of the patient’s health and arrive at a precise diagnosis. No two people are the same and consequently treatments are specially tailored for that individual, the precise nature of their condition and their own experience of pregnancy. After the consultation a gentle, non-invasive physical examination is carried out, with the pulse taken on both wrists and an observation of the patient’s tongue, after which the treatment will begin. Needles are inserted shallowly into the skin and either left for a few minutes or taken out immediately. The needling techniques used are as gentle as can be during pregnancy and the acupuncturist is always to be aware that he is treating two people (or three, or four!) when the treatment is carried out. The first treatment costs £50 and subsequent treatments, which last 45 minutes to an hour, cost £37. Many insurance schemes such as the Birmingham Saturday Fund and others are now quite happy to help towards the cost of acupuncture treatment.
I first started treating pregnant women after a patient I was treating for infertility. She had had a terrible experience with a miscarriage and was only left with one functioning fallopian tube so when she became pregnant she was keen to continue acupuncture throughout her pregnancy. Thankfully everything worked with her pregnancy and I was privileged to meet her beautiful daughter when she came in for some post-natal treatments. Since then meeting the real person behind the ‘bump’ has become one of the highlights of my job!
Rabl M et al (2001) “Acupuncture for cervical ripening and induction of labour at term – a randomised controlled trial”. Win Klin Wochenschr; 113(23-24): 942-6 cited in D. Betts (2006) p.218
