Anxiety During Pregnancy

Understanding Anxiety During Pregnancy

At least 1 in 4 women have clinically elevated anxiety during pregnancy. Although it is studied less than depression during pregnancy, it is probably more common but women tend to talk about it less.

Many women often live with a low level of anxiety in everyday life but are unaware of it leading to less frequent conversations about this physical, mental, and emotional health condition.

Researchers have recently discovered that anxiety during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth, low birthweight, altered fetal brain development, social-emotional delays in toddlers, and an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Anxiety during pregnancy can be caused by underlying health issues, such as, thyroid imbalances, psychological factors, hormonal causes, or not yet well understood biological mechanisms. In Chinese Medicine, anxiety is often called “ pregnancy vexation “.

There are three main patterns that are responsible for anxiety during pregnancy:

spleen qi vacuity, Heart qi vacuity, and liver qi stagnation.

Anxiety can manifest in the following ways:

  • A frequent sense of fear or restlessness

  • Obsessive thoughts

  • Muscle tension

  • Headaches

  • Heart palpitations

  • Inability to concentrate that lasts for days

  • Difficulty functioning in daily life

  • Insomnia

How can acupuncture help?

Acupuncture lowers the “ stress “ hormone cortisol. Fetal cortisol exposure can negatively impact development and potentially cause increased anxiety in children.
Decreased cortisol in mothers promotes a sense of wellbeing. Acupuncture also creates relaxation by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system also known as the “ rest and digest “ system to take over so the body is no longer in a state of “ fight and flight “.
Plus regular, consistent treatments regulate neurotransmitter levels and release endorphins so the patient feels calm and happy after acupuncture treatments.

‘Acupuncture lowers the “stress hormone” cortisol.
Decreased cortisol in mothers promotes a sense of wellbeing..’

Here are some helpful Resources:

https://www.cochrane.org/CD010568/PREG_chinese-herbal-medicines-unexplained-recurrent- miscarriage

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30866920/