Acupuncture as Pain Relief and Relaxation During Childbirth

Acupuncture as Pain Relief and Relaxation During Childbirth. A Randomized Controlled Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture for pain relief and relaxation during childbirth.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture for pain relief an relaxation during childbirth.

In a controlled study 607 healthy patients in active labor at term are randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture, TENS or traditional analgesia. Pharmacological analgesia is provided on request. The treatment is administered by midwives trained in acupuncture and TENS. The objective parameter of outcome is the need for conventional analgesia in each group. Visual analogue scale assessments are used to evaluate participants perception of pain before, during and after treatment. Questionnaires filled out two months after delivery is used to investigate the patients experience and satisfaction with delivery and analgesia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy, Danish speaking women with a normal singleton pregnancy giving birth at term 37 - 42 weeks) with a fetus in cephalic presentation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Women with medical diseases or complicated pregnancy. Women who has already received conventional analgesia during labor.