A new study conducted by Swedish researchers shows that the use of acupuncture and exercise during pregnancy can ease back pain. The study was conducted by the Institute for the Health of Women and Children in Gothenburg, Sweden.

'Acupuncture decreases the pain,' Helen Elden, a midwife at the institute, told Reuters.

Doctors are still not sure what causes back pain in pregnant women, although many suspect that it is related to the increased hormone level women have during that time.

The study examined 386 pregnant women. Some received acupuncture and did exercise, some standard treatment. Six weeks later, the two groups were compared and those following the regimen of exercise and acupuncture reported less pain than the test group.

'The findings are of particular importance because no previous study has shown such marked treatment effects among pregnant women with well defined pelvic girdle pain,' the researchers said

Daniel Maxwell, a member of the British Acupuncture Council told the BBC, 'Many pregnant women turn to acupuncture to relieve pain, especially pelvic pain. It is good because it does not involve any drugs, which women have to be careful about taking during pregnancy.'

The report was published in the online edition of the British Medical Journal.