Pregnancy Support
Pregnancy support is provided either online or in person. Acupuncture and acupressure use specific points on the body with the aim of balancing disharmony both physically and mentally and is used in Lee-Ana’s clinic for fertility, through pregnancy and postnatally after giving birth. Pregnancy acupuncture, acupressure and support is used clinically for a range of issues during pregnancy by Lee-Ana. Lee-Ana is always happy to work with your health practitioners and can offer another option for pregnant women that doesn't involve medication.
What the current evidence suggests
Acupuncture has been reported as safe during pregnancy when administered by well-trained practitioners (Clarkson et al., 2015; Ormsby et al., 2020; Park et al., 2014; Soliday & Betts, 2018) and has been found to have reduced miscarriage symptoms compared to touch intervention when used for threatened miscarriage in a NZ feasibility study (Betts et al., 2016).
Pregnancy acupuncture and pregnancy acupressure are often used by traditional acupuncturists for a range of symptoms. Most common issues treated by NZ & Australian traditional acupuncturists include morning sickness (nausea), low back or pelvic pain (LBPP), pre-birth and preparation for labour (C. A. Smith et al., 2014). Research with midwifery acupuncturists in NZ indicate acupuncture was thought useful for LBPP, sleep, anxiety, stress and other pain. Acupuncture was also widely use for birth preparation, assisted labour induction, nausea and vomiting, breech, headaches and migraines (Lowe & Betts, 2023). Lee-Ana also often treats fatigue, exhaustion, those that feel overwhelmed and heartburn during pregnancy. Postnatally Lee-Ana has used acupuncture and or acupressure for the let down reflex and lactation, mastitis, fatigue and mental health well being. One recent review found evidence for acupuncture use for lactation within 24 and 72 hours after delivery (Lu et al., 2022).
Prebirth acupuncture and acupressure are used clinically with the intention to prepare the body for labour in the third trimester. A UK NHS analysis found prebirth acupuncture in the third trimester normalised birth. This included less surgical intervention and pain relief during labour, less intervention for induction and reduced hospital stay (Lokugamage et al., 2020). Acupressure has also been found to be effective along with other complementary therapies in reducing C-sections and medical intervention (Levett et al., 2016). Cochrane reviews have found acupuncture may help with LBPP between 20-26 weeks (Liddle & Pennick, 2015) and prebirth acupuncture may help with cervix dilation (Smith et al., 2017).
Post natal acupuncture and acupressure is used clinically by Lee-Ana for birth recovery, lactation problems, mastitis, fatigue & anaemia, sleep issues, mental health, urinary incontinence and more.
Breech
A recent Cochrane review looked at 6 trials (2181 participants) that focused on moxibustion for breech (Coyle et al., 2023). Evidence from this review suggests that moxibustion plus usual care probably reduces chance of non-cephalic presentation at birth. One study also showed significant reduced need for synthetic oxytocin before or during labour.
A recent delphi study of midwives and obstetricians has also found a 70% consensus that moxa, acupuncture & acupressure should be discussed with pregnant women as an alternative to cephalic version techniques (Morris et al., 2024).
References
Betts, D., Smith, C. A., & Dahlen, H. G. (2016). Does acupuncture have a role in the treatment of threatened miscarriage? Findings from a feasibility randomised trial and semi-structured participant interviews. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 16(1), 298. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-1092-8
Clarkson, C. E., O’Mahony, D., & Jones, D. E. (2015). Adverse event reporting in studies of penetrating acupuncture during pregnancy: A systematic review. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 94(5), 453–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.12587
Coyle, M. E., Smith, C., & Peat, B. (2023). Cephalic version by moxibustion for breech presentation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003928.pub4
Levett, K. M., Smith, C. A., Bensoussan, A., & Dahlen, H. G. (2016). Complementary therapies for labour and birth study: a randomised controlled trial of antenatal integrative medicine for pain management in labour. BMJ Open, 6(7), e010691. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010691
Liddle, S., & Pennick, V. (2015). Interventions for preventing and treating low-back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, 1–116. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001139.pub4.www.cochranelibrary.com
Lokugamage, A. U., Eftime, V. A. I., Porter, D., Ahillan, T., & Ke, S. X. (2020). Birth preparation acupuncture for normalising birth: An analysis of NHS service routine data and proof of concept. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 40(8), 1096–1101. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443615.2019.1694878
Lowe, L.-A., & Betts, D. (2023). Midwifery Acupuncturists’ Management of Antenatal Anxiety and Depression: Data from a Survey in Aotearoa (New Zealand)*. Medical Acupuncture. https://doi.org/10.1089/ACU.2022.0062
Lu, L., Zhang, Y., Ge, S., Wen, H., Tang, X., Zeng, J. C., Wang, L., Zeng, Z., Rada, G., Ávila, C., Vergara, C., Chen, R., Dong, Y., Wei, X., Luo, W., Wang, L., Guyatt, G., Tang, C. Z., & Xu, N. G. (2022). Evidence mapping and overview of systematic reviews of the effects of acupuncture therapies. BMJ Open, 12(6), e056803. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056803
Morris, S., Geraghty, S., & Sundin, D. (2024). Consensus-based recommendations for the care of women with a breech presenting fetus. Midwifery, 130, 103916.
Ormsby, S. M., Smith, C. A., Dahlen, H. G., & Hay, P. J. (2020). The feasibility of acupuncture as an adjunct intervention for antenatal depression: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 275, 82–93. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.089l
Park, J., Sohn, Y., White, A. R., & Lee, H. (2014). The safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a systematic review. Acupuncture in Medicine, 32(3), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1136/acupmed-2013-010480
Smith, C. A., Armour, M., & Betts, D. (2014). Treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions by Australian and New Zealand acupuncturists. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 22(4), 710–718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.06.001
Smith, C., Armour, M., & Dahlen, H. (2017). Cochrane Library Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Acupuncture or acupressure for induction of labour (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002962.pub4
Soliday, E., & Betts, D. (2018). Treating Pain in Pregnancy with Acupuncture: Observational Study Results from a Free Clinic in New Zealand. JAMS Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 11(1), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2017.11.005