Insights & Discussion
Acupuncture treatment for postpartum depression is effective and can improve Hamilton Depression (HAMD) Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and serum estradiol scores.
Meta analysis was conducted in the literature in recent 10 years relating to clinical randomized controlled trials of acupuncture in treatment of postpartum depression, which provided references for acupuncture in treatment of postpartum depression.
Fourteen articles were included in this study, among which, acupuncture group was set as treatment group, and oral administration of fluoxetine as control group in 4 articles; acupuncture group was set as treatment group, and oral administration of maltodextrin granules as control group in 2 articles. The differences in the 6 articles were statistically significant, without interference from other compound factors.
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Acupuncture could reduce Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) scores for postpartum depression.
2019 BioMed Research International Effectiveness of Acupuncture Used for the Management of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Li W, Yin P, Lao L, Xu S
Systematic Review Postpartum Depression
Though our meta-analysis revealed that acupuncture had a lower efficacy compared to other antidepression treatments, symptoms of depression relief were observed in the majority of the studies analysed. These findings indicate that although the efficacy of acupuncture was lower compared to antidepressants, the benefits of acupuncture were still attractive to women with postpartum depression due to their negligible side-effects.
In summary, despite the limitations mentioned above, this current systematic review suggests that acupuncture could reduce HAMD scores. However, EPDS, clinical response, and serum estradiol levels were unaffected by acupuncture treatment. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that treatment efficacy was variable and depended on the control types used. Large-scale and well-designed RCTs are required before a conclusive statement could be made regarding the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of postpartum depression.
Acupuncture appears to be effective for postpartum depression with respect to certain outcomes.
2018 Acupuncture in Medicine Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Li S, Zhong W, Peng W, Jiang G
Systematic Review Postpartum Depression
Nine trials involving 653 women were selected. The result of this meta-analysis demonstrated that the acupuncture group had a significantly greater overall effective rate compared with the control group. Moreover, acupuncture significantly increased oestradiol levels compared with the control group. Regarding the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores, no difference was found between the two groups.