Acupuncture can be effective in treating depression during pregnancy, according to a study that was presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual Pregnancy MeetingTM in Chicago.
Dr. Schnyer, one of the study’s authors explains that having depression while pregnant is a very concerning issue due to the negative effects is can have on both the mother, the baby and the whole family in general.
How the study was done?
As many as 20% of women experience increased depression symptoms during pregnancy, and about 10% meet the criteria for major depression. Studies dedicated to depression during pregnancy are far fewer than those there are for the postpartum period.
For this study, 150 participants that met the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder were randomly given depression-specific acupuncture (SPEC, n=52) or one of two active controls which consisted of either control acupuncture (CTRL, n=49) or massage (MSSG, n=49). The participants were administered the treatments for 12 sessions in eight weeks.
How Acupuncture reduces depression during pregnancy results?
The results showed that women who received SPEC had a considerably greater decrease in the severity of their depression when compared to the combined control groups, or CTRL acupuncture alone. The SPEC group participants also had a higher response rate than the other two controls combined or the SPEC participants alone. Mild and temporary side effects were reported by 43 out of the 150 participants.
The results acquired in the study clearly show that acupuncture could be an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy, concluded Dr. Schnyer.
Compiled from materials provided by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine through EurekAlert!.
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