A review of the effect of acupuncture for induction of labour was conducted by researchers in the Cochrane Collaboration. After searching for all relevant studies, they found two studies done by other researchers. Their findings are summarised below.
Please note that this Cochrane review has been updated since the summary below. See the abstract of that update here.
What is induction of labour and why acupuncture?
Induction of labour in pregnant women means that labour contractions are started artificially. Once your contractions start, your cervix (the lower part of your womb) can begin to open so that your baby can be born.
Induction of labour is carried out when it is believed to be best for you or for your baby that the baby is born soon. Reasons for inducing labour may be that:
- you have passed your due date (particularly if you have reached 41 or 42 weeks);
- the baby has grown too much or too little;
- you are ill (for instance with preeclampsia); or that your waters have broken but your contractions have not started
- other concerns about the health of your baby
There are a number of ways in which labour can be induced. In parts of Asia and Europe acupuncture is sometimes used to help induce labour and to reduce labour pains. Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine and involves the placing of thin needles in specific points on your body. Electro-acupuncture is when the needles are attached to a device that sends electric pulses through them.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, a pregnant woman needs the right balance between energy (Qi) and blood supply for labour to start. Acupuncture is believed to move your energy and your blood, thereby encouraging labour to start.
When labour i sinduced your womb may become overstimulated and your contractions may come too often or become too long and strong. If this happens, your baby can become stressed and its heart may beat faster.
What does the research say?
Not all research provides the same quality of evidence. The higher the quality, the more certain we are about what the research says about an effect. The words will (high quality evidence), probably (moderate quality evidence) ormay (low quality evidence) describe how certain we are about the effect.
The studies showed that using acupuncture may not lead to fewer caesarean births.
None of the studies measured the effect of acupuncture on mothers or babies dying or becoming seriously ill; on babies born through vaginal delivery; on overstimulation of the womb or on other side effects.
Table of results
What was measured | Acupuncture | Quality of evidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babies born by caesarean section | 38 per 100 | 17 per 100 (7 to 43 per 100)1 | Low |
| Babies not born through vaginal delivery within 24 hours | Not measured in these studies | - | |
| Babies dying or becoming seriously ill | Not measured in these studies | - | |
| Mothers dying or becoming seriously ill | Not measured in these studies | - | |
| Mother's womb becoming overstimulated and baby's heart beating faster | Not measured in these studies | - | |
| Side effects | Not measured in these studies | - | |
1The numbers in the brackets show the range in which the actual effect could be.
Where does this information come from?
The Cochrane Collaboration is an independent global network of volunteers, dedicated to summarizing research about health care.
This information is taken from this Cochrane Review: Smith CA, Crowther CA. Acupuncture for induction of labour.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002962. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002962.pub2.
This summary was prepared by:
Gunn Vist and Claire Glenton, the Nordic Cochrane Centre's Norwegian branch, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, on behalf of the Cochrane Complementary and Alternative Medicine Field, and with funding from the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the US National Institutes of Health (grants number R24 AT001293).
Acupuncture for induction of labour
Patient or population: patients with induction of labour
Settings: USA
Intervention: acupuncture
Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect | No of Participants | Quality of the evidence | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Vaginal delivery not within 24 hour | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | None of the included studies reported on vaginal delivery not within 24 hours |
| Uterine hyperstimulation with fetal hearth rate changes | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | None of the included studies reported on uterine hyperstimulation |
| Caesarean section | 38 per 100 | 17 per 100 (7 to 43) | RR 0.43 (0.17 to 1.11) | 56 | low1 |
|
| Serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | None of the included studies reported on serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death |
| Serious maternal morbidity or death | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | None of the included studies reported on serious maternal morbidity or death |
| Adverse events | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | None of the included studies reported on adverse events |
*The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. Thecorresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate.
1 Only one very small study wih few events, and very wide confidence intervals