A study that was presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual Pregnancy MeetingTM in Chicago, will show new findings that acupuncture can be effective in treating depression during pregnancy.
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.
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.
The results showed that women who received SPEC had 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!.
Comments
I've heard good things about accupuncture from friends. I've meant to try it for my back injuy but keep chickening out!
That's really interesting. I've had acupuncture done for some health problems and was amazed by the results.
Indianapolis Healthy Living Examiner
Sims Examiner
I am an Acupuncturist in Asheville, North Carolina. I have treated pregnant women for morning sickness, back and hip pain, and anxiety, all with great results! Nancy @ www.centerholistic.com
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