Pregnancy and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Do you want to do everything you can to ensure a healthy pregnancy?

Would you like to shorten your labour and ease labour pains?

Are you suffering from morning sickness?

Pregnancy can be one of the happiest times of your life, but also one of the hardest. Many women struggle with fatigue, depression, morning sickness, anxiety, heartburn, and musclepains throughout much of their pregnancy.

Acupuncture can provide relief for pain and support for your mental and physical wellbeing throughout the various stages of pregnancy. Regular acupuncture treatments enhance the health of the mother, prevent complications, and positively influence the health of the baby.

 First Trimester Acupuncture Can Help Reduce

• morning sickness
• fatigue
• migraines
• stress and anxiety

An Australian study published in the journal Birth reports that of 593 women less than 14 weeks pregnant who received acupuncture reported having less frequent and shorter periods of nausea than women who received no acupuncture. These improvements were felt immediately and lasted the 4 weeks of treatment.

Second Trimester Acupuncture Can Help Reduce

• heartburn
• hemorrhoids
• stress and anxiety
• pubic pain
• constipation
• back ache or sciatica

A study published online in the British Medical Journal March 17 2005 on pelvic pain relief found that acupuncture combined with strengthening exercises showed the greatest reduction in pelvic girdle pain compared to the control group who was given standard care and the second group who was only given the strengthening exercises.

Third Trimester Acupuncture Can Help Reduce

• back ache or sciatica
• pubic or joint pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• breech presentation
• labour pain
• reduced need for caesarean sections, pain medications, epidurals, or oxytocin
• cervical ripening
• preparing the perineum for labour and to help prevent tearing
• improved energy and help with pain relief

The November 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that moxabustion when applied to 130 pregnant women with breech presentations significantly increased the number of head first births.

Preparation for Labour 

Weekly acupuncture visits starting at 36 weeks of the pregnancy

• cervical ripening
• prepare the perineum for labour and prevent tearing.
• help to shorten duration of labour
• reduce the rate of caesarean sections
• reduce the requests for pain medications or epidurals
• less need for oxytocin to speed up labour
• greater satisfaction with birth experience
• boost energy and help with pain relief

A study by the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vienna found that acupuncture supports cervical ripening at term and can shorten the time interval between the delivery date and the actual time of delivery.

A study by the Dept. Of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vienna found that acupuncture shortens the first stage of labour and is a recommendable form of childbirth preparation. Women who had acupuncture received less oxytocin and the first stage of labour was shortened by 125 minutes against the control group.

Acupuncture for cervical maturation protocol was carried out on 98 patients who were divided into three groups, a control group, placebo group and acupuncture group, if acupuncture sessions were started at the beginning of the ninth month cervical maturation was improved. The bishop score in the three groups was a significant 2.61 in the group treated with acupuncture compared with .85 in the control group and 1.08 in the placebo group.

Post Partum Acupuncture Treatments Help

• restore mothers energy levels
• stop abnormal bleeding
• reduce stress, anxiety and depression
• relieve perineum pain
• relieve back ache
• stimulate milk production for inadequate supply
• ease mastitis pain
• quicken recovery from a caesarean section

Course of Treatment

Treatments normally given once per month for the first 36 weeks, after which weekly sessions help prepare the mother and baby for labour. More frequent visits may be needed if you have any complications during your pregnancy.

Please call 250-334-3630 or book an appointment with us to ease the discomforts of pregnancy and optimize the health of your baby.