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Investigation of acupuncture's benefits for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting

Summaries 2 min 33

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Created On: 22/11/2024

Pregnant women often suffer from nausea and vomiting, which can severely disrupt their daily lives.

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Key take away

Acupuncture combined with western medicine offers significant relief from pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, potentially surpassing western medicine alone in effectiveness.

Background

Pregnant women often suffer from nausea and vomiting, which can severely disrupt their daily lives. While medications are commonly used, they may not always provide complete relief, highlighting the need for complementary treatments. Acupuncture has emerged as a potential solution, and this systematic review and meta-analysis investigated its effectiveness and safety.

Method

The study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from various databases, including Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and ClinicalTrials.gov.

For addressing gestational nausea and vomiting, RCTs that compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, placebo, and western medicine, along with acupuncture plus western medicine versus western medicine alone, were included. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was utilized to gauge the bias risk. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4.1, and evidence quality was evaluated with the help of GRADE approach.

Result

Analysis of 24 RCTs involving 2390 women revealed that acupuncture + western medicine markedly reduced nausea and vomiting compared to western medicine alone, showing improvements in Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis (PUQE) scores (mean difference [MD]-1.95) and ineffective rates (Risk ratio [RR]: 0.27). Acupuncture improved ketonuria, shortened hospital stays, and reduced scores on the Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy Quality of Life (NVP QOL) and Chinese Medicine Syndrome Scale.

It outperformed western medicine in ineffective rates (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.30–0.81, P = 0.006, I² = 0%, five studies). Acupuncture and western medicine had similar effects on PUQE scores (MD -0.80, 95% CI -3.06 to 1.46, P = 0.49, I² = 89%, three studies) and negative ketonuria rates. The effect on depression and anxiety compared to sham acupuncture was unclear. Serious side effects revealed no pivotal differences. The strength of the evidence varied from moderate to very low. Of 24 RCTs, 19 utilized Neiguan (PC6), 16 employed Zusanli (ST36), and 13 preferred Zhongwan (CV12).

Conclusion

Acupuncture, especially when combined with western medicine, can be an effective and safe treatment for morning sickness. Although larger and more robust studies are needed, the findings support acupuncture as a valuable option for managing pregnancy-related nausea.