Conference - Hippain

Gentle Air - Maternity Air Bag
If you or someone you love is losing sleep during their pregnancy because of hip and/or lower back discomfort, there is an answer! The patented Gentle Air Maternity Air Bed makes it possible for pregnant women to sleep comfortably and safely on their stomachs.

"Case study: Low back pain in pregnancy" by Kevin M. Callagher MS-III from University of North Texas - "AAO Journal Fall 1999". Pages 18-20 and page 36: http://www.academyofosteopathy.org/fall99.pdf

In the current issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology - the monthly journal of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – You’ll find the article: “Low Back Pain During Pregnancy: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes” by Shu-Ming Wang, Peggy Dezinno, Inna Maranets, Michael R. Berman, Alison A. Caldwell-Andrews, Zeev N. Kain. Obstet Gynecol 2004 104: 65-70.

The article says that: “Low back pain during pregnancy is a common problem affecting quality of life, yet only 32% of women disclose this problem to prenatal care providers.”

In Nina Kvorning Ternov’s dissertation: ”Acupuncture in Obstetrics and Anaesthesia”. http://www.lub.lu.se/cgi-bin/show_diss.pl/med_816.html she has done findings also on acupuncture for low-back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. Her dissertation consists of a collection of articles included the article:

I. Kvorning N, Holmberg C, Grennert L, Åberg A, Åkeson J. Acupuncture relieves pelvic and low-back pain in late pregnancy. Acta Obstetricia Gynaecologica Scandinavica 2003. In press.

See also: “Acupuncture for Lower Back and Pelvic Pain in Late Pregnancy: A Retrospective Report on 167 Consecutive Cases” in Pain Medicine September 2001: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/rd.asp?code=PME&vol=2&page=204&goto=abstract :

Acupuncture for Lower Back and Pelvic Pain in Late Pregnancy: A Retrospective Report on 167 Consecutive Cases

Nina Kvorning Ternov, MD, Lars Grennert, Anders Åberg, Lars Algotsson and Jonas Åkeson

Adverse and analgesic effects of acupuncture during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were studied retrospectively in an observational study including 167 consecutive patients with lower back pain, pelvic pain, or both. In each patient acupuncture was given on at least two different occasions by three manual stimulations of two or more acupuncture or tender points, mainly LR-3 and LI-4 together with local tender points, at 15-min intervals. Possible adverse and analgesic effects were assessed by the midwife responsible for the acupuncture given in each patient. There were no abortions and no influence on the delivery course of the infants, but transient premature labor was observed during the fourth stimulation carried out in the 15th gestational week in one woman. Other possible adverse effects, like transient dizziness or tiredness, were reported in 35 patients (21%). Analgesia, as assessed by midwives involved, was good or excellent in 72% of patients. Acupuncture seems to be safe and effective for pain relief in lower back pain, pelvic pain, or both during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Nevertheless, prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Best Regards

Anne Randi, Norway

Use of hormonal contraceptives and occurrence of pregnancy-related pelvic pain: a prospective cohort study in Norway

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2004, 4:11
doi:10.1186/1471-2393-4-11

Published

22 June 2004

Pregnancy-related pelvic pain is a common condition, and use of hormonal contraceptives before pregnancy has been proposed as a risk factor. We used data from a sub-sample of women participating in the "Norwegian Women and Cancer study" (NOWAC) to assess the association between hormonal contraceptive use and pelvic pain in pregnancy.

From a sub-group of 2078 parous women participating in the NOWAC study, information was collected from a self-instructive four-page questionnaire containing questions about lifestyle and medical conditions. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), using unconditional logistic regression.

In this study, the prevalence of pelvic pain in women was 26.5% during the first pregnancy and increased with parity. Use of hormonal contraceptives before a woman's first pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of pelvic pain in her first pregnancy (OR=1.6; 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.2). There was no association between use of hormonal contraceptives and pelvic pain in the second or third pregnancy. Occurrence of pelvic pain in a previous pregnancy was the only factor associated with pelvic pain in subsequent pregnancies (OR=51.1; 95% CI 32.9-79.5 in the second pregnancy and OR=28.3; 95% CI 15.4-53.1 in the third pregnancy).

Use of hormonal contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of pelvic pain in a woman's first pregnancy. The most important determinant of pelvic pain in the second or third pregnancy was the history of pelvic pain in the preceding pregnancy. “