Acupuncture as a Method of Preparation in Obstetrics

This is a report on 60 primigravidae who were prepared for delivery by means of acupuncture. Delivery was vaginal with the fetus in vertex position. Discussed are the acupuncture techniques, type of needles used, as well as the location of the selected points. The influence of acupuncture on the length of labor was investigated. Two different parameters (the subjective length of labor, beginning with the onset of regular pains every 10 minutes; and the active phase of labor, beginning with a cervical dilation of 3-4 cm.) were both measured separately up until the child's birth, and the average value was computed. The subjective length of labor was calculated as 6.5 hours (6 hours, 30 minutes), and the active phase of labor as 4.85 hours (4 hours, 51 minutes). Patients who were acupunctured only once showed an average value definitely inferior to that of those who were acupunctured several times. The according values of a comparison group from the same clinic were: 8.1 hours (8 hours, 6 minutes), and 5.8 hours (5 hours, 48 minutes). The statistical examination after a T-test exhibited a significant time difference in the two groups' subjective lengths of labor (p < 0.02). The effectiveness of acupuncture in preparation for delivery seems to lie in its influence on the fear, tension, and pain syndrome.