Acupuncture to treat depression in pregnancy

It is more common to hear about postpartum depression, but less is known about prenatal depression syndrome, which affects approximately 10% of pregnant women. Harmless treatment methods for the fetus are sought and it has been discovered that Acupuncture can treat depression in pregnancy.

Depression in pregnancy is as important as postpartum depression since the mother's emotions negatively affect the baby during pregnancy.

The food would help to combat it as well as acupuncture, the ancient therapeutic technique of Chinese origin that consists of nailing fine needles throughout the body for healing purposes.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona, in the United States, has conducted a study with 150 women affected by severe depression in pregnancy. A third of them were treated with specific acupuncture for depression, another with general acupuncture and the other with massages and general acupuncture.

They found 63 percent efficacy among women in the first group with significant remission symptoms, compared with 44 and 37 percent in the other two groups, respectively.

Researchers see that "an acupuncture protocol may be viable to treat depression during pregnancy." It is good news for those who believe in the benefits of the ancient technique since it is an alternative treatment to the use of antidepressant drugs that could have harmful effects on the baby.