Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery

We evaluate auricular point acupressure for post-abortion recovery, focusing on reducing bleeding and restoring menstrual cycles. We have developed a non-pharmacological, low-cost post-operative recovery approach to address the potential side effect associated with traditional drug therapies. To begin, confirm an early intrauterine pregnancy with a gestational age of 10 weeks or less, and confirm that the patient has undergone surgical abortion.

Inform the patient about the study. Obtain a signed informed consent form and confirm that the patient is willing to complete the full intervention process. Confirm the absence of ear infections, trauma, or other auricular diseases that may interfere with therapy.

Terminate the patient from the study if severe adverse events occur. Gather a metal probe, forceps, sterile cotton swabs, 75%alcohol, and auricular point adhesive. Seat the patient comfortably in a relaxed position and fully expose the ears.

Disinfect hands, and inspect the patient's auricular skin for redness, swelling, or ulceration. Proceed only when no abnormalities are observed. Select six acupoints corresponding to the liver, spleen, kidney, uterus, ovary, and endocrine.

Massage the front of the auricle three to five times, from the ear lobe to the apex. Then, massage the back of the auricle three to five times from the apex to the ear lobe until both ears are reddened. Pull the auricle upward and backward to expose the selected acupoint zones.

Using the metal probe, detect sensitive points and mark them. Use standard point locations if no sensitive points are found. With a sterile cotton swab dipped in 75%alcohol or iodine tincture, disinfect the auricle and clean the treatment area.

When the skin is dry, expose the treatment area and ensure the auricle is fully visible and clean. Use forceps to place the Vaccaria seed adhesive precisely at each marked acupoint. Confirm the placement with the patient.

Press and knead each seed adhesive between the thumb and index finger from both sides of the auricle in a steady rhythm. Maintain a steady rhythm until the patient feels soreness, numbness, fullness, pain, or warmth. Ask the patient to press each acupoint for one to two minutes, three times daily in the morning, afternoon, and evening for five consecutive days.

Keep the ear clean and dry and replace the adhesive if it detaches. Offer emotional support to reduce anxiety. If pain occurs, advise the patient to reduce pressure during acupoint pressing.

Remove the adhesive if the pain is severe. If redness, itching, or exudation appears, remove adhesive and apply a topical antihistamine. If the patient experiences dizziness, chest tightness, or sweating, stop treatment immediately.

Monitor vital signs and administer appropriate care. Record the duration and volume of postoperative vaginal bleeding. Evaluate traditional Chinese medicine symptoms and signs by monitoring dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, sweating, and abdominal or lumbar discomfort.

Assess complexion, tongue and pulse findings. Record complications, including infections, the need for repeat curettage, or other adverse events. Conduct all assessments by trained researchers using a double-entry method to ensure data accuracy.

For normally distributed continuous data, express results as mean and standard deviation. For non-normally distributed continuous data, express results as median with the 25th percentile and 75th percentile, and use the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for between-group comparisons. For categorical data, present results as frequencies and percentages.

Perform chi-square tests for between-group comparisons. A total of 216 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into a control group with 108 patients and an experimental group with 108 patients with no statistically significant differences in baseline age, pregnancy history, delivery history, cesarean section history, dysmenorrhea history, or menstrual irregularities between groups. The treatment group showed a significantly lower postoperative vaginal bleeding volume, shorter duration of bleeding, and had a significantly lower TCM score than the control group.

The time to first menstrual return and the duration of menstrual bleeding was significantly shorter in the experimental group compared with the control group. A significantly higher proportion of patients in the experimental group experienced a return of menstrual volume to normal, with significantly lower incidents of abnormal menstrual volume. During follow-up, no postoperative infections occurred in either group.

The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in the treatment group compared to the control group. This protocol enables evaluation of a safe, low-cost, non-pharmacological approach that reduces bleeding, accelerates recovery, and produces minimal side effects. The main challenge is limited generalizability, as single-center implementation and absence of long-term reproductive outcome data restrict broaden clinical interpretation.

Future studies can explore hormonal and neural mechanisms, conduct multicenter trials, access long-term fatality outcomes, and compare auricular stimulation with non-pharmacological therapies.