Acupressure can dilate the cervix during labour

Cervical ripening is one of the main stages of initiation labour. Acupressure in traditional Chinese medicine is considered as an invasive technique, which through reliving oxytocin ripens the cervix.

The acupuncture Sanyinjiao (SP6) was selected in this study because it is the acupoint selected in gynecology and it is easy for women to locate and apply pressure without medical assistance. There was a significant difference between mothers' educations in the three groups.

Most of the mothers (59.5%) in the researcher-performed acupressure group had secondary education. Cervical ripening was significantly different between the three groups after 48 hours (P = 0.05), yet there was no significant difference after 96 hours and at the time of admission. Mean Bishop score was enhanced after 48 hours in the researcher-performed acupressure group (P = 0.021) and the self-performed acupressure group (P = 0.007) in comparison to the control group.

The results showed that acupressure is a safe technique and leads to cervical ripening.

Thus, regarding the desired results that were achieved when mothers applied acupressure themselves, it could be suggested that it is beneficial for mothers to be trained to apply this method at home.

Reference

Torkzahrani, et al. (2015) Effect of Acupressure on Cervical Ripening. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 24;17(8):e28691. doi: 10.5812/ircmj.28691.