The Effect of Acupressure on Non-stress Test Parameters in Primiparous Women

Abstract Non-Stress Test (NST) is one of the main methods of fetal health assessment. In this method, the fetus receives a score based on increase in its heartbeat while movement. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure at Zhiyin (BL67) acupoint on NST parameters in primiparous women. In this randomized clinical trial, 90 primiparous women were randomly divided into an intervention (acupressure at BL67 acupoint) and a control group (touching BL67 acupoint without application of acupressure). The NST parameters were interpreted by a perinatologist. Finally, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software and analyzed using independent t-test, Fisher’s exact test, and repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed a significant increase in fetal heartbeat accelerations during application of acupressure in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=0.019). Also, a significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the percentage of reactive test results (P=0.017).Application of acupressure at Zhiyin (BL67) acupoint increased fetal heartbeat accelerations and the rate of reactive test results.