Akupunktur in der Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe. Ergebnis einer Literaturrecherche von 1982-1996 (Teil1)

Journal/Book: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur. 1997; 40/5: 99-107.

Abstract: The still existing uncertainty about the value of acupuncture in gynecology and obstetrics shows, how important scientific works, interdisciplinary conferences and institutions like the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Acupuncture in Vienna are. Of a total of 693 scientific publications in the two leading acupuncture magazines in the German language area between 1982 and 1996 (period of 15 years), not even 5% deal with acupuncture in gynecology and obstetrics. Obviously, there is a tremendous lack of information of gynecologists. The analysis of literature shows, that several indications from the field of gynecology are accessible to acupuncture: the publication comprise the groups of indication of pregnancy/birth, premature birth/spontaneous abortion, breast, menstrual complaints/lower abdominal complaints, fertility, climacterium, surgery, postoperative pain, etc. The meaningfulness of the papers is very different: only 29% are controlled, of these, only 3 are randomized (9%), one is a retrospective study and 21% are progress controls. The rest of the papers are reports on one's experience, miscellaneous like overviews, literature excerpts, therapeutic instructions and case documentations without usable figures. The access is made difficult by some contradictory therapeutic instructions, unreflected news of success and different results even in serious studies. Acupuncture in the genital area of the vagina is praised totally uncritically using some case reports. Some papers announce successs and others total failure in the cace of the same indications, e.g. in the case of pelvic presentation and reduction of the maternity period. Positive results, which are partly reliable, can be found for the reduction of labor pains, blood supply of the placenta, prevention of abortion, fertility disturbances, climacteric syndrome. There is agreement on the positive effects and the absence of the negative effect of acupuncture on the fetus. Reports on one's experience and therapeutic instructions are undoubtedly valuable. A certain safety for physicians and patients has to be the result of the use of complementary methods of treatment, but only by a qualified scientific support, which is especially indispensable in the case of interventions in the genital area.

Keyword(s): Akupunktur, Frauenheilkunde, Geburtshilfe, Qualität, Erfolg, Kontrolle.

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