The effects of ear acupressure therapy on obstetric and gynecological pain in women: a systematic review and metaanalysis

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ear acupressure therapy on obstetric andgynecological (OBGY) pain in women through a systematic review and meta-analysis, providing foundationaldata on complementary and alternative therapies. Methods: Using the PICO-SD framework,searches were conducted across seven electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE-OVID, CINAHL,Web of Science, Scopus, and RISS. The population (P) was women; the intervention (I) includedear acupressure, acupuncture, or auriculotherapy; the control (C) was usual obstetric care or placebotherapy; the outcome (O) was pain; and the study design (SD) was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Revised Checklist for RCTs. Meta-regressionand exclusion sensitivity analyses were also performed. Results: Sixteen studies were included,with a pooled overall effect size of Hedge’s g = −1.41 (95% confidence interval: −1.96 to −0.86). Meta-regressionrevealed that factors such as publication year, region, institutional review board approval,funding, sample size, type of pain, intervention type, tools, stimulus points, control group type, interventionduration, session count, session time, outcome measurement time, and quality assessmentscores significantly influenced pain reduction. Conclusion: The findings confirm that ear acupressuretherapy effectively reduces OBGY pain. However, given the variations in application methods and resultingdifferences in effectiveness, it is necessary to carefully consider factors such as tools, stimuluspoints, intervention methods, control group interventions, duration, session count, and session timewhen applying the therapy.