Integrative Therapies for Women with a High Risk Pregnancy During Antepartum Hospitalization

Q: What does this study say about pregnancy?

If you're hospitalized during a high-risk pregnancy, reflexology may help reduce anxiety and pain, though this study doesn't prove it works better than other therapies or as a standalone treatment.

Q: What did this study find?

This retrospective study evaluated 554 integrative medicine therapy sessions provided to hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies, including acupuncture, guided imagery, Healing Touch, massage therapy, and reflexology. Pain and anxiety levels were measured on a 0-10 scale both before and after each therapy session to assess the effectiveness of these integrative treatments. Analysis of mean pre- and posttherapy scores demonstrated a measurable decrease in both pain and anxiety among the hospitalized pregnant women receiving these integrative medicine interventions.

Q: How strong is this evidence?

This is a observational study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 554 participants. It was published in MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursing. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.

Authors: Schlegel Merry L, Whalen Jeanne L, Williamsen Pilar MJournal: MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursingPublished: January 1, 2016

Moderate EvidenceObservationaln=554 participants

Pregnancy Discomfort

In Plain Language: pregnancy, explained

High-risk pregnancies that require lengthy hospitalization can cause anxiety and stress for pregnant women. Integrative medicine therapies may be beneficial for this population, but have not been widely studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential effects of acupuncture, guided imagery, Healing Touch, massage therapy, and reflexology on pain and anxiety of hospitalized pregnant women. A retrospective analysis of the effects of integrative medicine therapies was conducted; N = 554 individual therapies were provided to hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies. They included acupuncture (n = 83), guided imagery (n = 71), Healing Touch (n = 119), massage therapy (n = 196), and reflexology (n = 85) over an 18-month period. Pain and anxiety were measured pre- and posttherapy using a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means no pain or no anxiety and 10 means high pain or high anxiety. Analysis of mean scores of pre- and posttherapies for pain and anxiety found a decrease of pain and anxiety after all of the therapies, ranging from an 84.5% to 61.4% decrease for pain (p < .0001) and a 91% to 70. 9% decrease for anxiety (p < .0001). Overall, patients rated their anxiety higher than pain prior to each therapy. Hospitalized pregnant women responded favorably to the therapies. There were no adverse reactions reported. Results suggest potential benefits of integrative medicine therapies for this group of inpatients. Anxiety was more prevalent than pain among hospitalized pregnant women who received integrative medicine therapy.

Key Findings: what this observational study found about pregnancy

✓This retrospective study evaluated 554 integrative medicine therapy sessions provided to hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies, including acupuncture, guided imagery, Healing Touch, massage therapy, and reflexology.
✓Pain and anxiety levels were measured on a 0-10 scale both before and after each therapy session to assess the effectiveness of these integrative treatments.
✓Analysis of mean pre- and posttherapy scores demonstrated a measurable decrease in both pain and anxiety among the hospitalized pregnant women receiving these integrative medicine interventions.

What This Means for You

If you're hospitalized during a high-risk pregnancy, reflexology may help reduce anxiety and pain, though this study doesn't prove it works better than other therapies or as a standalone treatment.

What This Means for Practitioners

Reflexology was one of five integrative therapies shown to reduce pain and anxiety in hospitalized pregnant women, suggesting it's a safe, well-tolerated option for this vulnerable population in clinical settings.

Study Design: how this observational study was run

Sample Size

554 participants

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Pregnancy: common questions

What does this study say about pregnancy?

If you're hospitalized during a high-risk pregnancy, reflexology may help reduce anxiety and pain, though this study doesn't prove it works better than other therapies or as a standalone treatment.

What did this study find?

This retrospective study evaluated 554 integrative medicine therapy sessions provided to hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies, including acupuncture, guided imagery, Healing Touch, massage therapy, and reflexology. Pain and anxiety levels were measured on a 0-10 scale both before and after each therapy session to assess the effectiveness of these integrative treatments. Analysis of mean pre- and posttherapy scores demonstrated a measurable decrease in both pain and anxiety among the hospitalized pregnant women receiving these integrative medicine interventions.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a observational study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 554 participants. It was published in MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursing. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.