Acupuncture treatment as breastfeeding support: preliminary data

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Background:

• Maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months is crucial for infant health.
• Several interventions aim to support breastfeeding mothers, but efficacy varies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in maintaining breastfeeding for the initial three months of a newborn's life.

Main Methods:

• Ninety women were randomized into acupuncture treatment or observation groups.
• Acupuncture was administered twice weekly for three weeks (six sessions total).
• Breastfeeding quality was assessed at enrollment and three weeks, with follow-up at three months via telephone interview.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in exclusive breastfeeding rates was observed before treatment.
• At three weeks, the acupuncture group showed a significantly higher exclusive breastfeeding rate (100%) than the observation group (60%).
• At three months postpartum, breastfeeding was reported in 35% of the acupuncture group versus 15% in the observation group.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings indicate that a three-week acupuncture regimen is more effective than observation alone for maintaining breastfeeding until the third month.
• Acupuncture may serve as a viable complementary therapy to support prolonged breastfeeding duration.