Whether you're vomiting your way through your first trimester or are plagued by pregnancy-related aches and pains in your second and third, acupuncture may be the key to relieving your discomfort. Here's how it can help you have a happier, healthier pregnancy in each trimester:

Acupuncture in the first trimester

Acupuncture during pregnancy can help with everything from mild cases of morning sickness to severe nausea and vomiting that require hospitalization, says Stephanie Curran, a registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner in Victoria, B.C. "Morning sickness usually starts at the six or seven week mark and, although we can treat patients at any time, it's best to start at the early onset of symptoms."

If you have a mild case of morning sickness, you may need to be treated once a week. More severe cases (if you're vomiting several times a day, for instance) may require treatment three times a week, or even every day. "Either way, you will know in three sessions whether acupuncture will help you," says Curran.

The use of acupuncture to treat morning sickness is one of the most widely researched applications of the treatment during pregnancy. Needling is done on acupoints on the insides of the wrists to relieve the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Acupuncture can also be used in combination with other morning sickness treatments, such as Diclectin.

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• Acupuncture in the second trimester >