Congratulations on your pregnancy! What an exciting time. But let’s be honest, it can also be an exhausting time, a nauseas time, a sore time… so it’ll make you relieved to hear that yes, you can indeed safely have acupuncture during this time. In fact, it can be a really helpful addition!
Is acupuncture really safe during pregnancy? (short answer: Yes!)
I was surprised when I first got asked this question, because it was a no brainer for me during pregnancy. In fact, I had it when I was trying to conceive, during pregnancy, to help with labour, and immediately after 😂! And the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) agree (1). They put out a paper to acknowledge that it can be beneficial in managing pregnancy-related conditions - things like nausea and vomiting, lower back pain, and anxiety.
AACMA (the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association) is the peak professional body for acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in Australia, and they also agree with the above. You can read about it in more detail here.
Like any qualified practitioner, we are well aware of treatment protocols while pregnant, and I’ve treated a number of mums throughout their TTC journey right through to labour, so rest assured you’re in good hands :)
Alongside Western Medical care, using acupuncture throughout pregnancy can work wonders. Here are some ways it might tick the boxes for you:
Morning Sickness be gone!
Look, we know that nothing is foolproof, but this study found that acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in nausea and vomiting compared to sham acupuncture, no treatment, or conventional treatments such as medication. Which sounds like a dream in those early days! The review also noted that acupuncture was generally well-tolerated by pregnant women.
Lower back pain during Pregancy
Just as you start getting excited because the nausea has left (in many cases), some unlucky women get hit with a whole range of pelvic pain - think one sided sacroiliac pain, symphysis pubis pain and bilateral sacroiliac pain. Ugh! But again, there’s research to suggest that acupuncture treatments may offer relief. This is really handy because those pregnancy pillows take up a lot of space and aren’t always the answer!
Breech Presentation
You might have heard about pregnant mummas coming in for help to turn breech babies, and there are studies that moxa treatment (Chinese mugwort herb applied at specific points) saw a greater number of foetal movement and cephalic presentation. Moxa plus acupuncture had even better results.
There’s a lot more that Chinese Medicine may assist with during pregnancy - from cervical ripening, to labour induction and pain relief (2), and it is well worth a discussion with your Chinese Medicine practitioner in regards to your specific needs. Has this spiked your interest? I’d love to see you!
HOT TIP:
We get a lot of clients in for acupuncture to help with labour induction - which is wonderful! However, don’t leave it till week 39. Come on in for some treatments from week 33 or 34 instead. It can greatly benefit!
Sources:
1. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). (2019). Acupuncture in pregnancy. Retrieved from here.
2. https://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/acupuncture/pregnancy-childbirth/research/