The Effect of Auricular Therapy on Lactation: A Pilot Study

Breastfeeding has been of major concern in maternal-child healthcare. Challenges posed by cesarean delivery can have negative impacts on breastfeeding. Efforts to facilitate, support, and sustain breastfeeding have been investigated to a great extent by researchers from a variety of disciplines. In the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a number of clinical studies have been carried out to study the effect of auricular therapy (AT) on postpartum lactation over the years. Limitations in the evidence that currently exists include the lack of randomization, sham-controlled treatment, blinding and/or no valid outcome measures. Given that such information is important for maternal-child health and clinical practice, the study has set out to conduct a pilot trial which employs randomized, single-blinded, and sham group design that examines relevant outcomes using valid measurement.

A total of 96 post cesarean participants have been randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (1) standard care (n=32); (2) standard care with Medulla Junci adhesive on auricular acupoints (n=32); (3) standard care with magnetic pellets adhesive on auricular acupoints (n=32). The standard care group participants only received the standard post cesarean care of the study hospital without any additional therapies. The same set of six pre-specified auricular points were adopted for both Medulla Junci and magnetic pellets groups. The treatment was initiated within 4 to 8 hours post cesarean for 96 hours during their hospital stay at a maternal hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Milk production and onset of lactogenesis II have been used as primary outcome variables for the evaluation of the effectiveness of AT. Milk production is determined by the summed value of infant test weighing measurements and expressed breast milk. Maternal perceptions of breast fullness, swelling, leakage, or tingling are the indicator of onset of lactogenesis II. The secondary outcome measures are infant behaviors of observed swallowing and rooting during breastfeeding, neonatal weight gain, and frequencies of urination and defecation of the infant.

Numeric rating scales have been used to measure the effect of the possible mediating variables, i.e., pain and stress. Potential confounding variables have been controlled by either stratified randomization and exclusion criteria or monitored during the study period. Treatment expectation and satisfaction toward AT have been assessed in order to examine their relationship with therapy outcomes. Main components of study feasibility, i.e., recruitment, retention, and acceptance, have been evaluated. Participants also have been contacted to acquire their one and three-month breastfeeding practice status.