Abstract
The use of acupuncture in pregnancy is an emerging area of clinical practice. Over the last decade acupuncture has increasingly been used in maternity units in Western settings, and this has been mirrored by increasing referral patterns by maternity professionals particularly midwives (Adams et al., 2011a). Surveys indicate acupuncture is used throughout pregnancy, including the first trimester, to treat a wide range of conditions. Data from a cohort of women recruited to the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health indicate 32.8% of pregnant women used complementary therapies during their pregnancy (Adams et al., 2011b), with 6% using acupuncture. Overall, women who used complementary therapies in this study experienced poorer health status and used these modalities to manage headaches or migraines (44%), back pain (39%), difficulties sleeping (29%) and severe tiredness (46%).
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Medical Acupuncture: A Western Scientific Approach |
Editors | Jacqueline Filshie, Adrian White, Mike Cummings |
Place of Publication | U.K. |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 552-565 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Edition | 2nd ed. |
ISBN (Print) | 9780702043079 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- acupuncture
- pregnancy
- obstetrics