Acupuncture in pregnancy; primum non nocere

Abstract

It is thought that around 10% of pregnant women turn to acupuncture to alleviate troublesome pregnancy ailments: vomiting, pelvic, back and even labour pain, and to induce labour (Martensson et al., Midwifery 2011;27(1):87-92). Within this unregulated field the available literature is of insufficient quality to show whether acupuncture is either safe, or effective.