Acupuncture before Delivery: Effect on Labor

Abstract

Acupuncture treatment in the final weeks of pregnancy has been claimed to shorten the duration of labor in primiparous women. In the present study, the length of the various phases of labor was calculated for 56 primiparous women who were repeatedly treated with manual acupuncture during the month prior to parturition. In vaginally delivering women, the average lengths of the latent and active phase and the second stage of labor were 4.1, 3.4 and 1.4 h, respectively. In a nontreated control group of 112 primiparous women, the corresponding durations were 4.4, 3.5 and 1.1 h. Acupuncture treatment before delivery did not shorten the delivery time. Instead, acupuncture seemed to lengthen pregnancy and to prolong labor, for there was a positive correlation between the number of acupuncture treatments given and the length of gestation, second-stage labor and total delivery time. Based on the results of the present study, it appears possible that the effect of acupuncture is the opposite to that suggested by others, i.e. it lengthens the pregnancy as well as delivery time and does not reduce the duration of labor.

Influence of Acupuncture on Duration of Labor

“…Our findings suggest that AP treatment has an effect on the cervix, inducing a more rapid maturing of the cervix. This is in contrast to the results of Lyrenäs et al [13] who found no beneficial effect on the maturation of the cervix. The comparison of our findings concerning the duration of the first stage of labor with previous reports is difficult because of the lack of an established definition of the first stage of labor [12,13].…”

“…This is in contrast to the results of Lyrenäs et al [13] who found no beneficial effect on the maturation of the cervix. The comparison of our findings concerning the duration of the first stage of labor with previous reports is difficult because of the lack of an established definition of the first stage of labor [12,13]. There is no objective method available to ascertain when effective myometrial contractions start.…”

“…Furthermore, there was no difference in the vacuum extraction rate at our department. In contrast, Lyrenäs et al [13] reported that AP treatment seemed to cause a prolonged second stage of labor and that the use of oxytocin tended to be more frequent in the AP-treated group. In our study AP-treated women significantly less often needed oxytocin, both in the first and second stages of labor, compared with the controls.…”

“…Kubista and Kucera [12] concluded that the median active delivery phase calculated as the time between a cervical dilatation of 3-4 cm and delivery of the infant was significantly shorter in the group of women prepared for delivery by weekly acupuncture compared with a control group. In contrast, Lyrenäs et al [13] concluded that acupuncture treatment before delivery did not shorten the delivery time. AP treatment seemed to cause a prolonged labor most obviously indicated in the second stage of labor.…”

“…Since the report by Lyrenäs et al [13] in 1987, no further studies have reported on the effects of AP in prenatal preparation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the controversially discussed influence of AP on the duration of labor.…”