Acupuncture During Pregnancy
Is Acupuncture Safe During Pregnancy?
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YES! Acupuncture is an extremely safe treatment option for many conditions. It is only minimally invasive and does not add anything into your body chemistry the way medication does. Acupuncture is a gentle and relaxing for most people who receive it. In the U.S., acupuncture is not as widely understood. Because it originates from East Asian Medicine, it also suffers from the same biases our society has on Asian cultures and Asian people. Those who hold biases against Asian culture might be more unnecessarily prone to question acupuncture’s safety and efficacy. Because of these biases, Western-practicing acupuncturists have a short list of acupuncture points we know to avoid during pregnancy.
Acupuncture is often used to treat a variety of conditions during pregnancy, including morning sickness, pain, indigestion, allergies and anxiety. This post is for educational purposes and should not be taken as medical advice. Please speak with your providers on your unique conditions and situations.
Many studies have investigated the use of acupuncture during pregnancy. A systemic review of 105 studies in 2014 determined that acupuncture is safe during pregnancy and was not associated with many adverse events. (Park et. al)
A retrospective cohort study in 2019 (Moon et. al) considered acupuncture during pregnancy to be safe and therapeutic for relieving discomfort without adverse events.
A literature review of systemic reviews (2018, Bergamo et. al) concluded that acupuncture can help with alleviating pain during labor, for correcting breech presentation, and managing pelvic and back pain during pregnancy.
Acupuncture needles are thin and do not penetrate deeply. Acupuncture does not pose any major risks. The most common unwanted side effects from acupuncture are bruising, dizziness and light-headedness. The later two can be avoided by making sure you’re not on an empty stomach when you go for treatment and by staying hydrated before and after. Most often people feel relaxed after acupuncture.
10 Conditions Acupuncture Can Help with During Pregnancy
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Morning Sickness
Back Pain
Allergies
Sinus cold
Headaches
Insomnia
Restless Leg Syndrome
Indigestion
Ankle Swelling
Preparing for Labor
When Should I Get Acupuncture During Pregnancy?
Treatment protocols will vary depending on your unique pregnancy and your situation. Many of my pregnant patients opt to come weekly to reduce stress, manage other chronic issues or in order to avoid taking medications.
I typically see those who have stress and anxiety about their pregnancies more during their first trimester, especially those who have had a history of miscarriage or those who have just completed the IVF process. In the first trimester you can come weekly or more depending on the severity of your symptoms and your ability to get into the clinic.
During the second trimester I tend to see people less frequently unless they are dealing with regular headaches, indigestion, allergies, pain or other persistent issues.
During third trimester, I see pregnant patients weekly again, as it can be more common to experience ankle swelling, restless leg syndrome, insomnia and general aches and pains towards the end of the pregnancy. By 38 weeks, those who have the goal of avoiding inductions come as frequently as possible (every other day or daily).
There are some conditions such as gestational diabetes, placenta previa and pre-eclampsia that should be managed and monitored by a medical doctor, however, acupuncture can be used adjunctly in order to support their medical treatment plans while helping to reduce stress and anxiety.
What Can I Expect?
During pregnancy, laying flat on your back is contraindicated as it can compress your blood vessels causing dizziness and will also reduce proper blood flow to your uterus. When you come in for acupuncture you will have the options to lay on your left side, sit propped up on an incline and for some (5’4” or taller) can lay face down on a special supported massage cushion created for pregnancy to allow for back treatments. If it’s your first time receiving acupuncture please be sure to have eaten before and hydrate well before and after so that you don’t get light headed.
Many pregnant people seek acupuncture for labor preparation. Acupuncture can help you feel more calm and relaxed during the weeks you’re waiting to go into labor. When it comes to preparing for labor it is important that you check with your midwife or OB/GYN for pregnancy complications first. Once you’re ok’d by your medical team, plan to come for acupuncture as frequently as possible. Please note that acupuncture for labor preparation will not make you magically go into labor nor will your water suddenly break on the table. It can, however, help your body practice contractions and relax the cervix for softening. You should expect to have several visits and can start when your 37.5-38 weeks as long as your OB/GYN says its ok. I don’t recommend waiting for you to be at 40 weeks or later, when you might be feeling pressured about inductions and medical interventions - this ends up being a high stress of a situation. Coming earlier is always better and is a nice way to ease into this process.
A cohort study conducted in 2018, looked at 375 pregnant women at 42 weeks where 112 received acupuncture every other day. This study concluded that acupuncture given at this time, reduce the rate of labor induction by those who received it regularly. (Neri, et. al)
Written by Dr. Emily Siy on 3/26/23
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Sources:
Bergamo, T.R., Latorraca. C.D., Pachito, D.V., Martimbianco, A.L.C., Riera, R. (2018) Findings and Methodological Quality of Systemic Reviews Focusing on Acupuncture For Pregnancy-Related Acute Conditions Acupuncture in Medicine Vol 36, Issue 3
H-Y Moon, M-r Kim, D-S Hwang, J-B Jang, J Lee, J-S Shin, I Ha, YJ Lee (2019) Safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study in Korea An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology September 4
Neri, I., Pignatti, L., Fontanesi, F. Facchinetti, F. (2018) Acupuncture in Postdate Pregnancy Management, Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, Volume 11, Issue 5, October, Pages 332-336
Park, J., Sohn, Y., White, A.R., Lee, H., (2014) The Safety of Acupuncture During Pregnancy: A systemic review Acupuncture Medicine 32:257–266