Acupuncture can help to induce labor. Unless there is a medical necessity, the use of acupuncture to induce labor normally is performed within 2 weeks after the due date. Some of my patients start labor day after acupuncture session. Some need couple of sessions. Some still need medical intervention.
The following is an article from WebMD site.
In parts of Asia, acupuncture has been used for centuries to jump-start labor. Researchers at the University of North Carolina completed a small study to test whether this method has real benefits. The study involved 56 women who were 39 ½ to 41 weeks pregnant. (Forty weeks is full term.) Half of the women received three acupuncture sessions, while the other half did not.
Among those who received acupuncture, 70% went into labor without medical intervention. This compares to 50% of those who received standard care. The women who got acupuncture were also less likely to deliver by cesarean section -- 39% compared to 17%.
"We had almost a 50% reduction in the C-section rate," researcher Terry Harper, MD, tells WebMD. Harper, who now practices maternal fetal medicine in Albuquerque, says the small size of her study means additional research is needed. She hopes acupuncture might one day help more women give birth vaginally.
The study appeared in the August 2006 issue of The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. A larger study is currently underway, also at the University of North Carolina.
