Acupuncture in pregnancy is considered a gentle measure to alleviate typical accompanying symptoms such as nausea or back pain. Due to its good tolerability, it is valued as an alternative to drug therapy, as this can only be used to a limited extent in pregnant women.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture during pregnancy can be beneficial to the expectant mother in many ways. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses acupuncture to treat a variety of physical and psychological ailments. The procedure is based on the assumption that the human life energy Qi flows through the body along fixed meridian lines. If this flow is disturbed, it affects the well-being of the person. Acupuncture aims to correct such a disturbance in the flow of qi. For this purpose, narrow needles are inserted through the skin along the meridians and left there for 20-30 minutes. There are about 400 of these acupuncture points, each of which is said to have a different effect. Depending on the patient’s symptoms, the acupuncturist decides on the number and location of the acupuncture points to be stimulated. A variant of classical acupuncture is permanent acupuncture, in which short needles remain in the skin for several days. Although critical voices doubt the effectiveness of acupuncture, it has been proven in several scientific studies.
Why acupuncture in pregnancy?
Since many medications may not be used during pregnancy, or only with reservations, medical treatment options for pregnant women are sometimes significantly limited. Acupuncture represents an alternative to traditional conventional medicine for many women, as it is also considered to be well tolerated during pregnancy. Its various fields of application allow an effective treatment of different symptoms. In particular, the use of acupuncture needles has proven effective for the classic accompanying symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea or back pain.
Acupuncture for nausea and vomiting
Quite a few women suffer from nausea during pregnancy. Most often it occurs during the first three months of pregnancy, but in some cases it lasts longer – sometimes it passes only after the birth of the child. The intensity of the nausea ranges from mild discomfort to hyperemesis gravidarum, a particularly pronounced form of vomiting during pregnancy. Affected women suffer greatly from the symptoms of morning sickness and feel significantly restricted in their daily lives. Since the cause of this typical accompanying symptom of pregnancy has not yet been fully clarified, treatment is purely symptomatic. Acupuncture can help to alleviate the symptoms. The point P6 on the underside of the wrist plays a central role in the treatment: in traditional Chinese medicine, it is also stimulated for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Acupuncture treatment for morning sickness is carried out in several sessions until the symptoms subside permanently. In severe cases, however, regular treatments may be necessary until the end of pregnancy, as the effect wears off after only a few days.
Acupuncture for back and pelvic pain.
Acupuncture is also used for another common side effect of pregnancy: back and [[[pelvic pain]] plague many women, especially in the last months before giving birth. On the one hand, this can be explained by the increasing pressure that the child and uterus exert on the pelvis. On the other hand, the weight of the abdomen causes the pregnant woman to adopt a compensatory posture, which is often accompanied by a pronounced hollow back. The overstrained back muscles then react with tension, especially in the lumbar region. Acupuncture treatment can relieve this tension in many cases and help to alleviate the pain. It is advisable to start the treatment in good time, as tension that has already lasted for a long time can become entrenched and thus more difficult to relieve. The experienced acupuncturist decides which acupuncture points are suitable for the individual complaint pattern after a detailed anamnesis.
Acupuncture for birth preparation
A birth always proceeds individually and is not predictable.It is influenced by factors such as the size of the female pelvis or the weight of the child, but also by the effectiveness of labor and the mental state of the mother. Understandably, most women harbor the desire for a birth with as little pain and as few complications as possible. Pre-birth acupuncture can have a positive effect on the course of labor and on the individual’s perception of pain. In addition, it is used to stimulate labor if the expected date of birth has been exceeded. Birth-preparatory acupuncture to stimulate labor should only be performed after consultation with the attending physician.
Are there any side effects of acupuncture?
In general, acupuncture is considered to be very well tolerated. As a result of inserting the needles into the skin, isolated drops of blood may escape or numbness may occur. Occasionally, a hematoma forms at the puncture site, but this disappears completely after a few days. These after-effects of an acupuncture session can be considered normal side effects and are no cause for concern. However, improper treatment such as incorrect selection of acupuncture points or overly vigorous stimulation can lead to dizziness or brief disturbances of consciousness. In such a case, treatment should be discontinued immediately, especially during pregnancy. Injury to blood vessels from the acupuncture needles occurs very rarely and is not considered a side effect of the treatment. Rather, such an incident constitutes a negligent treatment error, indicating lack of experience and incorrect application of the acupuncture technique. Such an experience can be avoided by choosing a professional acupuncture physician. In particular, treatment during pregnancy should only be performed by an acupuncturist with appropriate expertise and several years of practical experience.
