A total of 36 volunteers of postpartum women within 7 days with significant breast engorgement, will be recruited in China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. The participants will be randomly assigned into 3 groups, each of 12 people, namely, routine care group, routine care plus electrical-acupuncture experiment group, and routine care plus transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group.
Participants will receive once a day, three consecutive days of interventions in each group, including identical routine care. On each visit, severity index (SI) subject to the extent of erythema, tension and pain over breast will be assessed. Questionnaires of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES-SF) and of Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) will be performed. Heart-rate variability was evaluated and recorded via a real-time handheld HRV device. Oxycontin, Cortisol, sodium and potassium levels in breastmilk will be tested . A telephone follow-up will be performed in 30 days after completion of treatment, and the data will be collected and analyzed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
2
Reverse pressure applied to the areola
Acupuncture on Hegu, Sanyinjiao, Zusanli and Taichong with electrical stimulation
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation over bil breasts
China Medical University Hospital
Taichung, Taiwan
Severity Index (0-19)
Sum of the degree of Erythema, Tension and Pain scores over breasts
Time frame: Changes from Baselines of Severity Index, at each treatment and 1 month later
EPDS
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Time frame: Changes from Baseline of EPDS, after each treatment and 1 month later
BSES-SF
Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale
Time frame: Changes from Baseline of BEES-SF, after each treatment and 1 month later
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