The impact of using acupressure wristband on PC 6 point to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a physiological process, during pregnancy physiological and psychological changes or adaptations occur in pregnant women. These changes can cause discomfort, such as nausea and vomiting. Nausea and vomiting usually occur in the first trimester of pregnancy (0-12 weeks of gestation) with a prevalence of almost 80%. Pregnant women with symptoms of nausea and vomiting can experience hyperemesis gravidarum so that their nutritional intake is disrupted. One way to anticipate and treat nausea and vomiting is through acupuncture therapy, but this therapy is often feared because it requires inserting needles. So acupressure therapy is used, which is a complementary therapy that can be applied to pregnant women by applying pressure to acupuncture points to stimulate the central nervous system through the hypothalamus and limbic system thereby balancing hormones.

Purpose: To determine the effect of using an acupressure wristband at pericardium point 6 in reducing nausea and vomiting in pregnant women.

Method: The type of research used was a pre-post-test experimental design using PC 6 acupuncture points on pregnant women between 6-14 weeks of gestation who experienced nausea and vomiting as many as 30 participants. Research data was collected using the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) scoring system, which measures the severity of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy within 12 hours.

Results: There is a difference in the PUQE scale before and after using the acupressure wristband at point PC 6. Where before the intervention some participants experienced nausea and vomiting in the moderate NVP category (7-12), namely 15 (50.0%) and severe NVP ≥13.13 (43 .3%). However, after intervention for the intensity of nausea and vomiting, the majority of participants were in the mild NVP category ≤6, 14 (46.7%). This shows that using the PC 6 acupuncture wristband can relieve nausea and vomiting experienced by pregnant women.

Conclusion: Acupressure wristband are effective in preventing nausea and vomiting experienced by pregnant women.