Comparison of the Effects of One-Step Acupressure of Spleen Point 6 (SP-6) and Gall Bladder 21 (GB-21) on the Duration and Type of Delivery in Nulliparous Women Referred to Hospitals in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Sedatives constitute an important part of modern obstetric care. One of the under-investigation methods is the effect of acupressure on reduction of the duration of labor stages. This study was performed aiming at comparison of the effects of one-step acupressure of spleen point 6 (SP-6) and gall bladder 21 (GB-21) on the duration and type of delivery and Apgar of newborne in nulliparous women. This clinical trial study was performed on 150 nulliparous women. Women were randomly assigned to three groups, including gallbladder 21 acupressure, spleen point 6 acupressure, and control. In first two groups, pressure was performed at 3-4cm cervical dilatation for 20 minutes. In the control group, contact with no pressure was done on the acupressure points and with the same condition of the intervention group. The collected data was analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, and one-way variance analysis. In this study, the duration of the active stage of labor in the intervention group was less than control group (p<0.05), but no significant difference was observed in the two intervention groups (p>0.05). Also, duration of the second stage of labor in the control group was more than two experimental groups, but the difference was not significant (p>0.05). The three groups, had no significant difference in the fifth minute Apgar score (p>0.05). The number of cesarean sections in the intervention groups were more than control group (p<0.05). According to the results of this study, the acupressure in SP-6 and GB-21 points, in the one-step intervention was equally effective in reducing the duration of active stage of labor.