Amy O’Brien: Acupuncture for Perinatal Mental Health Support
Amy O’Brien here.
Chinese Medicine and Motherhood Studies Practitioner at Juno Specialists.
Today I’d love to share one of my big passions - perinatal mental health support.
And to Oh So Lightly touch on some of the research.
I enjoy supporting women experiencing depression, anxiety, stress and overwhelm that commonly ripple through trying to conceive, pregnancy, approaching birth, early postpartum and the significant years of matrescence that follow.
Acupuncture Research:
Here in Australia, a randomised control trial (Simone Ormsby et al, 2020) concluded
‘individually tailored depression orientated acupuncture significantly reduced depression, stress and distress in pregnant women displaying disturbances to mood.’
Acupuncture produced a statistically significant reduction in depression, stress and psychological distress scores.
The cohort receiving acupuncture had their depression scores reduce to below the cut off for probable depression and parenting distress.
Here’s the study: The feasibility of acupuncture as an adjunct intervention for antenatal depression: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
That study also comments ‘it is conceivable that acupuncture may provide an additional therapeutic option for mainstream antenatal mental health services’. Which is, of course, exactly what we’re doing at Juno.
A 2022 study concluded
acupuncture lead to a significant improvement in perceived stress in pregnant women with each session performed.
This study also demonstrated a significant improvement in perceived stress levels after three weeks of follow-up.
Here’s that study: Acupuncture for perceived stress in pregnant women: an intervention study
I share specifically about pregnancy here, because although we mostly understand perinatal mental health concerns to occur postnatally, that’s not the full picture. We know conditions like depression are underdiagnosed in pregnancy.
We know that antenatal (pregnancy) depression is the biggest risk factor for development of postnatal depression. We know shame and stigma can act to stunt timely supports being put in place.
I’m keen to encourage help seeking as early as possible. Because women navigating these transitions deserve support the whole way along.
Outside the perinatal period, research also shows:
Acupuncture can reduce stress and improve stress management
Acupuncture can improve quality of life for those with moderate to severe depression
At Juno Specialists I thrive in supporting perinatal mental health alongside the care and treatment provided by our compassionate and wise Perinatal GP’s and our Perinatal Psychologist.
It means you don’t have a series of seperate healthcare professionals in isolation, but your very own Healthcare Think Tank.
If you’re keen to learn more, I flesh out what I offer in perinatal mental health consultations here.
Juno Specialists was created to bridge some of these gaps in healthcare. To bring your healthcare team together under one roof so your more closely held and supported.
I look forward to crossing paths with you there.