Labor Pain and Acupuncture

A study published in Pain (October 5, 2006) examined the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for reducing labor pain. TENS involves delivering low-level electrical stimulation through the skin to modulate pain signals. In this study, stimulation was applied bilaterally to two acupuncture points—LI-4 and SP-6.

The study included 100 women in labor, who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. At the onset of labor, the treatment group received active TENS at a frequency of 100 Hz with a burst frequency of 2 Hz, delivered for 30 minutes whenever pain relief was needed or requested. The control group received minimal electrical stimulation without burst frequency at the onset of labor.

Pain levels were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (most severe pain imaginable). Measurements were taken before stimulation, 30 minutes after TENS application, and one hour after stimulation began. In the TENS group, 62% of participants experienced a reduction in pain scores of three points or more on the VAS. In addition, 96% of women in the TENS group reported that they would choose this method of pain control again in future labors.

Additional evidence for non-pharmacologic labor support comes from a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology (August 1998; Volume 92, Issue 2, Pages 245–248). This study compared 80 women, matched for age and parity, with 40 receiving prenatal acupuncture and 40 receiving no acupuncture. The women who received acupuncture experienced shorter labor durations compared with those who did not.