Acupuncture does not appear to help with labour pains, according to new research.

The use of acupuncture to manage pain in labour started in the 1970s, however evidence of its benefits remains unconvincing. Despite this, its use and that of other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) continue to be popular in pregnancy.

UK and Korean researchers carried out a major review of acupuncture trials that have been carried out worldwide. Their study focused on women who received acupuncture alone or those receiving acupuncture and a conventional form of analgesia (painkiller) for pain relief in labour.

According to the researchers, the large variation in the trial results made interpretation difficult. However overall, they found little convincing evidence that women who had acupuncture experienced less labour pains than those who received no pain relief, a conventional analgesia, a placebo or sham acupuncture.

In the trials that compared acupuncture to conventional pain relief, the researchers noted that the women who received acupuncture required less pethidine - a commonly used painkiller - or other forms of analgesia. They said that a possible explanation for this finding is that the women felt that they were already being treated and therefore did not need another form of pain relief.

The researchers pointed out that a previous review, carried out in 2004, appeared to indicate that acupuncture could help with labour pains. However in this latest, larger review, ‘acupuncture did not seem to have any impact on other maternal or fetal outcomes', although it was not ‘associated with harm' either.

"However, there was no convincing evidence that women receiving acupuncture experience less labour pain than those in the control groups. Acupuncture might reduce the use of other forms of pain relief such as pethidine, but the evidence is limited. To summarise, the current evidence does not appear to recommend the use of acupuncture for labour pain," the team said.

Details of these findings are published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Commenting on the findings, BJOG editor-in-chief, Prof Philip Steer, noted that ‘pain is a very subjective response'.

"Labour pain can be so intense that the woman feels she would do anything to minimise the sensation of pain. Acupuncture is a drug-free approach and that may explain why some women prefer its use during labour. This research has shown that there were no adverse outcomes to mother and baby for those who had acupuncture to control pain during labour," he said.

He acknowledged that the findings showed that in a ‘very small number of cases', acupuncture may be of help, usually for very short periods of time after treatment. However he said this may be down to a psychological rather than a physiological effect.

"Generally, the consensus is that the evidence does not support its use. In contrast, there is good evidence showing a benefit from emotional support during labour, so we should concentrate our efforts on making sure that all women have the benefit of one-to-one care at this crucial time," Prof Steer added.

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