Pregnancy Acupuncture: Nurturing Your Body & Easing Common Pregnancy Symptoms

As a board-certified acupuncturist, I am trained in providing pregnancy-safe acupuncture treatments throughout pregnancy. For your comfort and safety, I have an wide electric treatment table that allows you to lie comfortably on your side, propped up with pillows.

Acupuncture administered by a board-certified acupuncturist can be used at all stages of pregnancy to manage a wide range of pregnancy-related symptoms, and to promote health and general wellbeing (it has also been found to improve blood flow in the umbilical cord).

Common reasons women use acupuncture during pregnancy include:

• Nausea and vomiting: Acupuncture is a safe, evidence-based treatment that may be as effective as medication for nausea and vomiting during all stages of pregnancy, and can also be combined with medication for stronger relief (3)

• Fatigue: Acupuncture can help boost energy levels and reduce fatigue

• Pain management: Acupuncture a well-known treatment for pain (see here for more info)

• Insomnia: Acupuncture can reduce the effects of stress that can interfere with sleep, regulate the body's circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality

• Headaches: Acupuncture can help reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines during pregnancy

• Stress and anxiety: Acupuncture can ease stress and anxiety by promoting the release of your body’s own calming biochemicals, and can also promote sleep

• Carpel tunnel syndrome: tissue swelling in pregnancy can result in compression of the median nerve in the wrist - acupuncture can reduce symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness

• Oedema: acupuncture can ease fluid retention

• Managing chronic pain & conditions in pregnancy: acupuncture is a drug-free, low-risk management option for many chronic health conditions, which many women use through pregnancy

• Breech presentation:

  • “acupuncture in combination with moxabustion may result in fewer births by Ceasarean section” (1) according to the Greentop Guidelines (written by RCOG - Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists)

  • The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also recommends the use of moxibustion for breech presentation in pregnant women. The NICE guidelines are based on a thorough review of the available evidence, as well as consideration of the potential benefits, risks, and costs of the intervention

  • You can see this overview of research for more information on acupuncture & moxabustion for breech

• Umbilical blood flow: a study which looked at umbilical blood flow under ultrasound during acupuncture treatment found that acupuncture improves umbilical blood flow (which delivers oxygen and nutrients to your baby) (2)