Broon Fahimeh Jamshidi, Salmani Fatemeh, Taghanaki Hamidreza Bahrami, Hosseini Hamideh, Torshizi Marzieh
Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Eur J Med Res. 2025 Sep 26;30(1):877. doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-03166-2.
Constipation is one of the most common complaints during pregnancy. A significant percentage of pregnant women report that this constipation occurs or worsens during pregnancy. Nowadays, the use of complementary medicine treatments to control or reduce constipation is of particular importance. The aim of this study was, therefore, to compare the effects of acupressure and reflexology on constipation in pregnant women.
In this quasi-experimental study, 90 pregnant women who had visited three health centres in Birjand, Iran, for 4 weeks in 2021 were randomly selected and assigned to three groups: acupressure (n = 30), reflexology (n = 30) and control (n = 30). The Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) for pregnancy was completed before the intervention and in the first, second, third and fourth weeks after the intervention (twice a week), while the control group received usual care.
The average severity of constipation decreased significantly over time after the start of the intervention in both the acupressure and reflexology groups (P < 0.05). In the control group, the average severity of constipation decreased significantly in the first, second and third weeks after the intervention, but increased significantly in the fourth week (P < 0.05). The average reduction in the severity of constipation over the course of the study was significantly higher in the pregnant women in the acupressure group than in the reflexology group and the control group, and higher in the reflexology group than in the control group (P < 0.05).
Both acupressure and reflexology had significant effects on reducing the severity of constipation during pregnancy. However, the alleviating effect of acupressure was greater than that of reflexology. Trial registration Registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials, with code No. IRCT20210626051706N1 in 2021-12-20.
便秘是孕期最常见的不适之一。相当比例的孕妇报告称，这种便秘在孕期出现或加重。如今，使用补充医学疗法来控制或减轻便秘尤为重要。因此，本研究的目的是比较指压疗法和反射疗法对孕妇便秘的影响。
在这项准实验研究中，随机选取了2021年在伊朗比尔詹德的三个健康中心就诊四周的90名孕妇，并将她们分为三组：指压疗法组（n = 30）、反射疗法组（n = 30）和对照组（n = 30）。在干预前以及干预后的第一、第二、第三和第四周（每周两次）完成孕期便秘评估量表（CAS），而对照组接受常规护理。
指压疗法组和反射疗法组在干预开始后的一段时间内，便秘的平均严重程度均显著降低（P < 0.05）。在对照组中，干预后的第一、第二和第三周便秘的平均严重程度显著降低，但在第四周显著增加（P < 0.05）。在整个研究过程中，指压疗法组孕妇便秘严重程度的平均降低幅度显著高于反射疗法组和对照组，反射疗法组高于对照组（P < 0.05）。
指压疗法和反射疗法对减轻孕期便秘的严重程度均有显著效果。然而，指压疗法的缓解效果大于反射疗法。试验注册于2021年12月20日在伊朗临床试验注册中心注册，注册号为IRCT20210626051706N1。
