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REVIEW

Acupuncture for painless delivery: A narrative review

Archana Agrawal1 ,  Satya Lakshmi Komarraju2 ,  Sathyanath Dasarathan3 ,  Shrikanth Muralidharan1*
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1 Department of Research, National Institute of Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, Pune, Maharashtra 411001, India
2 Department of Naturopathy and Yoga, National Institute of Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, Pune, Maharashtra 411001, India
3 Department of Natural Therapeutics, National Institute of Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, Pune, Maharashtra 411001, India
JBM, e99010086 https://doi.org/10.14440/jbm.0203
Submitted: 16 July 2025 | Revised: 19 September 2025 | Accepted: 28 September 2025 | Published: 12 November 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Background: Giving birth is a fantastic, transformative event—often characterized as a painful, emotionally and physically taxing time for women. Obstetricians and pregnant women face considerable challenges in managing labor pain. The popularity of alternative pain management techniques may be attributed to the desire of many women to avoid invasive or pharmaceutical means of managing their labor pain. Complementary treatments are becoming increasingly popular. When seeking pain relief during pregnancy and delivery, women may turn to alternative therapies in addition to traditional medical care. Objectives: This review discusses the role of acupuncture as a popular complementary therapy used to treat many painful conditions. It has also been used to treat obstetric and gynecological disorders, including labor discomfort. Doctors, nurses, and certified acupuncture therapists are increasingly employing acupuncture for reproductive care, birth induction, and pain relief, as it has been recognized and acknowledged as a component of Western mainstream medicine. Acupuncture during labor also appears to provide other advantages for women, such as shorter labors and a reduced incidence of instrumental vaginal births. Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be a safe and effective complementary therapy for managing labor pain, promoting relaxation, and potentially improving labor outcomes. Further well-designed clinical studies are warranted to establish standardized protocols and confirm its efficacy and safety in diverse obstetric settings.

Keywords
Acupuncture
Non-pharmacological pain relief
Randomized controlled trial
Parturition
Labor pain
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Journal of Biological Methods, Electronic ISSN: 2326-9901 Print ISSN: TBA, Published by POL Scientific
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