The aim of the authors of this study was to determine the effect of body acupuncture on the symptoms of low back pain and pelvic pain suffered during pregnancy. Material-Method: In this systematic review, 8 international databases (Cinahl, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, Ebsco Host, Cochrane Library) comprising the period between January 2000 and March 2020 were screened. Articles that are not in English and Turkish were excluded. Three authors screened the related articles based on the titles and abstracts independently of each other. A data extraction form was filled in for each appropriate study. The quality of the studies included in the study was assessed using the Jadad scale and PRISMA guidelines. Results: Finally, six studies conducted in 3 countries between January 2000 and March 2020 with 838 pregnant women with complaints of low back pain and pelvic pain were included in the review. The results showed that body acupuncture reduced pregnancy-related low back pain and pelvic pain complaints and that it had no side effects. Conclusion:We think that body acupuncture, a non-pharmacological method, will help clinicians to relieve the symptoms of pregnancy-related pelvic pain and low back pain.

Background: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms in pregnant women. Purpose: This study was aimed at determining the effects of complementary and alternative therapy methods on the symptoms of pregnancy-related constipation. Search strategy: The authors performed a systematic search according to PRISMA guidelines. The database Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, CENTRAL, national databases were screened to reach studies published from January 2010 to March 2020 with restriction to human studies in English or Turkish language. The quality of the studies included in the study was assessed with the measurement tool proposed in the JADAD, JBI, and Observational Open-Label Studies scales. Inclusion criteria: Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed using the keywords constipation "pregnancy" or pregnant woman and "acupuncture" or "acupressure" or "massage" or "herbal medicine" or "aromatherapy" or "music therapy" or "homeopathy" or "hypnosis" or "meditation" or "reflexology" or "moxibustion" or "ayurvedic Medicine" or "ayurveda" or "Traditional Iranian Medicine Data extraction and analysis: Selection of included articles, data extraction and methodological quality assessments were respectively conducted by two review authors. Findings: 14536 studies were selected and 706 studies were screened based on their titles and abstracts. Seventy-three studies were analyzed in detail to assess whether they were suitable. In order to find a larger number of original articles, of the studies in the reference lists of these studies, those found in the electronical environment were screened, but no studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Finally, 3 studies were included in the study. Conclusions:The results demonstrated that herbal medicine and foot reflexology reduced constipation complaints during pregnancy without any side effects. Because the number of studies conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of different types of complementary and alternative medicine methods in pregnant women with constipation is very few, more studies should be carried out on the issue.

Objective: Dysmenorrhea causes women who are working and students to lose business power, school absenteeism, and serious economic loss. This study was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupressure to reduce the pain of dysmenorrhea. Material-Method:This study is a randomized controlled experimental trial that was conducted. The population of the study consisted of 480 female students, between November 2016-and June 2017. The sample of the study was determined as a minimum of 38 individuals for each group using power analysis. 90 female students, who met the inclusion criteria and signed informed consent forms, were included in the sample. The data were collected using Information Form, Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire, and Visual Analog Scale. Acupressure was applied to the acupuncture points of hand and foot areas in the experimental group in the company with music for 10 minutes. The control group was made to relax in the company with music for 10 minutes. Pain assessment was performed with VAS before the procedure and on the 30th, 60th, and 120th minutes after the procedure for both groups. The data were assessed using the Chi-square test, Yates chi-square Fisher exact test, numbers, and percentages. Results: The present study had more application points (LI4 and SP6 on both arms and legs) and a shorter application time (10-12 minutes) and the experimental group's pain measurements 30th, 60th, and 120th minutes after the procedure decreased considerably. Conclusion: Acupressure is a very effective means of decreasing dysmenorrhea. It can be assumed that applying acupressure with the same intensity for a shorter time is effective in reducing menstrual pain.