Acupuncture seems to offer no significant pain relief during labour, finds a new study published in the obstetrics journal BJOG.
Researchers worked with 105 first-time mothers who were undergoing induced labour. Before contractions started , the volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: authentic acupuncture, "sham" acupuncture treatment where the needles were not inserted deeply enough nor in the right spots, and no acupuncture at all.
Between the trial groups, there was so significant difference in pain reduction, and the majority of each group ended up asking for pain medication once contractions started.
Of the group that had received proper acupuncture, 67 percent requested epidural pain medication, which was more than the 56 percent who had been given the "sham" treatment, but less than the 77 percent of who received no treatment at all.
"I believe that the overwhelming evidence from objectively conducted randomized studies indicates that acupuncture offers little benefit," concluded Dr. Ian Z. MacKenzie, lead researcher on the study.