Effect of acupuncture on labor.

The World Health Organization mentions acupuncture as a nonpharmacological method to use during labor and emphasizes the necessity of clinical studies to validate this role of acupuncture. The primary aim of this study was to obtain an indication of the efficacy of acupuncture in decreasing pain and maintaining relaxation during labor. The secondary aim was to look for possible effects of acupuncture on the progress of labor. The study randomized 90 women to actual acupuncture (30 women) "pretend" acupuncture (30 women in control group 1) or no intervention (30 women in control group 2) during labor. Inclusions criteria were a normal singleton pregnancy of 37 weeks or longer and a spontaneous onset of labor cephalic presentation and a cervical dilatation of 3 to 6 cm at admission. The actual acupuncture treatment consisted in inserting single-use solid titanium needles in the appropriate acupoints in the muscle until good chi flow--a feeling of numbness tingling and warmth--was achieved. (excerpt)