I treat in pregnancy and I have firm rules about it, because this is where caution is genuinely warranted rather than performative.
My rules. Your maternity carer knows you are seeing me, and I will write to them. No herbal medicine without their clearance, and some formulas not at all. Side-lying with support from the second trimester, never prone, never flat on the back for long. Specific points avoided. Shorter sessions. And I ask how many weeks you are at every appointment rather than working from memory.
What I treat: nausea in the first trimester, back and pelvic pain, carpal tunnel symptoms, reflux, constipation, and third-trimester sleep. Pelvic girdle pain I treat and also refer, because pelvic health physiotherapy has specific and effective management for it and the two together work better than either.
Birth preparation, including referrals at term. I see women weekly from about thirty-six or thirty-seven weeks, and a proportion arrive on a GP or midwife referral at term. If you have one, bring it with your maternity notes: I want your dates, who is leading your care, and anything being monitored.
What I will say about those appointments is that women generally report sleeping better and feeling more settled. What I will not say is that acupuncture brings labour on, shortens it, or reduces the chance of intervention. The trials are limited and inconsistent, so claiming it would be unsubstantiated — and if it led someone to put off a recommended induction it would be dangerous, because a pregnancy past its dates carries risks your maternity team is monitoring for a reason. Induction is their decision, on medical grounds, and I write to them rather than around them.
What I will not do. Treat a condition that belongs with your maternity team, or continue treating when something needs assessment.
What goes to your maternity service immediately, and I will make the call with you in the room if needed: reduced fetal movements, any bleeding, fluid loss, severe or persistent headache, visual disturbance, upper abdominal pain, sudden facial or hand swelling, one-sided calf pain, or fever.
Perinatal anxiety and low mood are common, treatable, and routinely referable — please raise it. The clinic is in Lane Cove, opposite the library.
