Acupuncture to bring on labour: any evidence it works?

[longestlurkerever]

Also posted in pregnancy but didn't get any response so trying here too.

My nhs hospital offers free acupuncture sessions to bring on labour after 38 weeks in high risk pregnancies and after 40 weeks in other pregnancies. Its website says "Evidence shows that acupuncture can reduce the chance of going overdue and makes it less likely that birth will need to be induced.". But the NHS main website lists acupuncture among "other methods of inducing labour that are not supported by scientific evidence".

Does anyone know if there is any medical evidence that acupuncture can induce labour? I'd like to give it a go if so as I am classed as high risk due to gestational diabetes and will be induced if I go more than a few days overdue. On the other hand I am not sure how I feel about NHS hospitals paying for treatment that isn't supported by scientific evidence unless it's on a trial basis. Surely they should be prioritising resources on the basis of scientific evidence?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/857393-Has-anyone-tried-acupressure-acupuncture-to-induce-labour

Have you looked at this older thread?
Maybe of help.

I had it when over 40 weeks and went into labour just over 24 hours later. Could have been a coincidence though as by then I was 40+6 so the odds were in my favour.

I also had one hell of a sweep at the same time though, so my instinct is that if it was anything, it was that.

Good luck!

I had it when i was 40 +3 at our local nhs hospital, although they did charge £20 for an hour. I went into labour 3 days later. I really enjoyed it.
Good luck x

Thanks everyone. I did have a look at that other thread. I fancy giving it a go, it sounds relaxing and i don't think it will do any harm but i am in a bit of a moral dilemma as everything i have read says trials have shien it doesnt work to bring on labour and i don't really approve of the hospital spending money on unscientific treatments just to improve their consumer satisfaction ratings. Where does that end? I think I would feel more comfortable paying for it myself. Perhaps I am overthinking?!

I had it and went into labour the next day. I was ten days overdue though so it could have been coincidence.

Cochrane review of the available evidence here: Cochrane Library

Thanks bagels. That seems to confirm what I had read "Evidence from 14 trials with data reporting on 2220 women suggest very limited benefit from acupuncture to induce labour. There was insufficient evidence of benefit of acupuncture compared with control for any primary endpoint. Benefit was found from individual trials of both sham and usual care controls."

I went into labour the day after I had acupuncture. However I was 13 days overdue so I think the chances were high...

Generally, no it doesn't seem to work. Plenty of people can probably say they had it and went into labour 1/2/3 days later but generally these people are overdue and you'd expect labour anyway. Their pregnant contemporaries who don't have acupuncture also go into labour within a similar time frame.

Nothing works really. No evidence for curry or pineapple or sex etc.

It won't hurt though and if you want to do it, do it. The very best of luck to you either way.

Didn't work for me, tried it but had to be induced