[Acupressure against morning sickness]

Abstract

Background: Although stimulation of certain acupressure points for long has been claimed to alleviate nausea, previous research has left contradictory results. The aim of our study was to find out if acupressure can alleviate nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.

Material and methods: 97 women with mean gestational length between 8 and 12 weeks were randomized to use either active acupressure or placebo acupressure bands. Symptoms were recorded before they entered the study, during the use of the wristbands, and after the end of the study, according to the intensity, duration and nature of complaints.

Results: 71% of the women in the intervention group reported both less intensive morning sickness and shorter duration of symptoms. The same tendency was seen in the placebo group, with 59% reporting less intensity and 63% shorter duration of symptoms, However, significance levels of 5% were reached regarding duration of symptoms, which was reduced by 2.74 hours in the intervention group compared to 0.85 hours in the placebo group (p = 0.0018).

Interpretation: Acupressure wristband might be an alternative for morning sickness in early pregnancy, especially before pharmaceutical treatment is considered.