Acupuncture needles aim to kickstart labor in overdue moms
NCT ID NCT04744168
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at whether acupuncture can help prepare the cervix for labor in women whose pregnancies have gone past 41 weeks. 128 pregnant women received either real acupuncture at five specific points or a placebo acupuncture at a single point. The goal was to see if the real acupuncture improved cervical readiness (Bishop score) and increased the chance of labor starting naturally.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- acupuncture
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a natural way to help start labor in overdue pregnancies, potentially reducing the need for medical induction.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with no phase designation, so results may not be conclusive. The placebo effect is strong with acupuncture, and any benefit may be minimal or not generalizable.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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128 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2021
- Finished
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Sep 2021
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Nulliparous or multipares with physiological pregnancy at 41 weeks * Cephalic foetal presentation, * Healthy or unicicatricial uterus, * Major patientes, * Speaking french, * Term of the pregnancy determinated with a dating ultrasound between 11 weeks and 13 weeks+ 6 days, * Having signed the form of consent participation. Exclusion Criteria: * Foetal or maternal diseases requiring a maturation before 41 weeks : pre eclampsia, pre-existing diabetes, imbalance gestational diabetes, threat premature delivery treat with tocolytic, macrosomia or intrauterine growth retardation, * Diseases discoveries at 41 weeks : pre eclampsia, moves of the baby decrease, low amniotic fluid,anomalies of the foetal heartbeat * Circled pregnancy, * Twins or more, * Foetal death in utero, medical termination of pregnancy, * Unstuck membranes, * Minor patients * Patients who benefited acupuncture during pregnancy , * Imprecise term of delivery, * Podalic presentation * Patients under supervision or curatorship, * Patients without social security.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien
Corbeil-Essonnes, 91106, France