In obstetrics and gynecology, acupuncture supports women at every stage of their lives: puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum, menopause.
Acupuncture has been used by celebrities such as Meghan Markle during her pregnancy, and is now increasingly sought after as an alternative or complementary medicine.
Pregnancy is a time of great physiological change for women, and can be fraught with inconvenience. Pregnancy is a series of adventures that deserve to be lived in the best possible conditions.
Acupuncture can be a great support and a valuable alternative, as many drugs are not recommended or forbidden during pregnancy.
There are different ways of preparing for childbirth, and different techniques that can be used to get through this rather special and emotionally-charged period. It's important for mothers-to-be to be informed, so that they can choose the method best suited to their needs and promote a harmonious pregnancy.
Acupuncture is an excellent way to relieve pregnant women of aches and pains such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia, varicose veins, heavy legs, migraines, etc., and also to prepare the ground for childbirth. This alternative medicine will soften the cervix, stimulate uterine contractility and enable baby to turn over to facilitate labor on the day of delivery. The earlier you have acupuncture, the better! You can start acupuncture as early as the first trimester of pregnancy.
There are absolutely no side effects for either mother or baby.
It's for these reasons that many women opt for acupuncture to prepare for the arrival of their baby with serenity. But what are the benefits of this ancient practice, and what guidelines should you follow during pregnancy?
Acupuncture is beneficial at every stage of childbirth.
It can provide relief during pregnancy, as well as before and after childbirth.
Acupuncture is performed with very fine needles positioned at specific points on the body. The aim is to work on energy flows, stimulating points that follow the meridians. Meridians are interconnected channels in the human body through which "qi", the body's vital energy, circulates. These meridians are connected to the body's various organs.
What's so interesting about acupuncture is that the treatment is individualized, starting with the patient's symptoms and then working on very specific points. Acupuncture is a gentle, natural medicine, ideal for pregnant women who want to work on prevention before treatment.
Acupuncture is a safe, non-invasive approach that can help a complicated pregnancy get off the ground. It improves fertility in both women and men.
Acupuncture is effective for functional infertility and ovulation disorders, as well as for the regularity of cycles needed to conceive a baby.
In women, acupuncture increases blood flow to the ovaries and uterus to improve ovarian function. More specifically, it promotes the attachment of the blastocyte (fertilized egg) prior to conception. Treatments stimulate ovulation by regulating the number of follicles, and improve the quality of the eggs released. In men, it improves sperm quality.
Did you know?
Acupuncture also prepares the body for in vitro fertilization and helps increase the chances of success!
In fact, a German study showed that acupuncture combined with in vitro fertilization increased the chances of success: 42% success rate for the acupuncture group compared with 26% for the non-acupuncture group. In particular, acupuncture improved the ovaries' ability to produce a better quality egg and a greater number of follicles, and reduced the reactivity of the uterus when the egg was re-implanted.
The benefits of acupuncture during pregnancy are numerous.
Acupuncture can help relieve the following symptoms in particular:
The principle being the regulation of the body's energy, even in the absence of symptoms, sessions can be done to prevent the onset of pain.
From the 9th month of pregnancy onwards, it may be useful to have weekly check-ups to prepare for childbirth. Acupuncture sessions help to :
Birth preparation with acupuncture makes for a smoother, more regular birth, reducing the pain and duration of contractions.
Acupuncture can also be useful in preparation for and during childbirth when an epidural cannot be used, or in the case of a post-term history, or when giving birth to a large baby.
It should be noted that certain points have an analgesic action, while others can trigger childbirth. Last but not least, acupuncture can stimulate the flow of milk.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
You can even get "breech versions": the baby flips over if it's not in the right position!
Acupuncture corrects the malposition of the breech fetus between 32 and 34 weeks. In treatments aimed at turning the baby, the acupuncturist uses needles to increase the volume of amniotic fluid. A greater volume of fluid in which the baby bathes facilitates its movements and increases the chances that it will turn over.
The success rate is 1 in 2 cases, whereas spontaneously, the baby can turn over in about 1 in 10 cases if he or she is breech at 7 months!
The post-partum period begins with the birth of the child and ends 8 to 12 weeks later.
Acupuncture is a good ally during this period for regaining strength and vitality, and replenishing reserves in case of fatigue. It can also be used to treat problems of scarring, sleep, breastfeeding, hemorrhoids, pelvic pain and back pain. Hormonal changes following childbirth can also be more rapidly rebalanced by acupuncture, which has no side effects.
Acupuncture is also ideal for postpartum depression and baby blues. This technique avoids the need for chemical medical treatment and promotes the circulation of energy in the body. The field of possibilities is therefore very wide.
In Chinese medicine, breastfeeding disorders can be classified into 3 categories: emptiness, excess and stagnation.
First and foremost, acupuncture promotes the milking process, which can be delayed in the event of premature delivery. It also increases milk production in the event of insufficient lactation, and relieves mastitis or abscesses. This practice also helps reduce engorgement.
Acupuncture is beneficial for children and babies. Obviously, the treatment will be adapted to the child's age, with different instruments used for babies and toddlers.
Acupuncture needles are not the same for a child as for an adult. In fact, it is recommended that infants not be treated with needles, but rather with acupressure points. This technique of massaging very precise points is beneficial for treating baby's digestive disorders such as diarrhea or constipation, as well as reflux.
When children are small, auriculotherapy can be a precious help. It involves placing small beads on the ear. As a newborn's body is not affected by disease or trauma, apart from the cutting of the umbilical cord, the ear is untouched, and only a specific point is inscribed on it.
corresponding to its umbilicus.
Acupuncture also relieves babies and children of sleep disorders, and ENT problems such as colds, sinusitis and recurrent ear infections. Asthma, allergies and ezema can also be treated.
