THE EFFECT OF ACUPRESSURE OF SHEN MEN HEART POINT (H7) ON AMNIOCENTESIS PAIN IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Amniocentesis is the most common invasive procedure used to diagnose prenatal
genetic disorders. Pregnant women who are candidates for amniocentesis are often afraid of this
procedure because they predict it to be painful and describe the pain as a mental experience. Therefore,
the present study was performed to determine the effect of acupressure of point H7 hand on
amniocentesis pain in pregnant women.
Materials & Methods: This clinical trial study was performed in the sonography clinic in Birjand city
on 60 pregnant women who were candidates for amniocentesis by available sampling method.
Individuals were divided into two groups of intervention and control through drawing lots (even and
odd days). In the intervention group, acupressure was performed at point H7 for 5 minutes in each hand
(a total of 10 minutes) 30 minutes before amniocentesis and the control group did not receive any
intervention. Data collection tools in the present study were demographic and pregnancy questionnaires
and visual pain scale tools. Immediately after amniocentesis, pain intensity was measured in both
groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software and independent t-test and chi-square.
Results: The results showed that in the control group immediately after amniocentesis the mean pain
intensity was 6.95±1.82 and in the intervention group, the mean pain intensity was 4.43±1.33. The mean
pain intensity immediately after amniocentesis was significantly lower in the acupressure group than in
the control group (p <0.001).
Conclusion: The use of H7 hand acupressure was effective in reducing amniocentesis pain. Therefore,
midwives can teach this method to pregnant mothers who are candidates for amniocentesis to reduce the
pain