Ajori 2013.

Methods	80 women randomised to either verum (n = 40) or sham (n = 40) acupuncture
Participants	80 women with gestational age between 38 and 42 weeks presenting to Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Women were included if they had cephalic presentation, cervical dilatation less than 3 cm, intact membrane, and no signs of labour. Women were excluded if they had previous caesarean section or incision of the uterus, multiple pregnancy, malformation of pelvis, skin infections, anticoagulant drug use, psychological disorders, previous inability to tolerate acupuncture, intrauterine growth restriction, suspected macrosomia, indications of emergency termination of pregnancy by induction or caesarean section before onset of labour as described by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and request of elective termination of pregnancy before 42 weeks of gestation.
Interventions	True acupuncture points included which were located on the Spleen 6 (on the inner ankle), Large intestine 4 (in the webbing between thumb and forefinger) and Bladder 67 (on the outer edge of the little toe), and needles were advanced or manipulated until ‘de qi’ was stimulated. Needles were inserted at all points bilaterally and retained for 30 minutes for both groups. Manual stimulation was provided during the time. The procedure was administered up to a maximum of 2 times over a 1‐week period (every 3 days) and routine prenatal care was continued. Sham acupuncture points included non‐acupuncture points in the hands and legs, and insertion was shallow.
Outcomes	The primary outcome was initiation of labour, defined as active labour (3 contractions in 10‐minute interval with cervical dilatation 4 to 5 cm) or rupture of membranes. The time from entry (first acupuncture treatment) to delivery, mode of delivery, fetal and maternal outcome, and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were recorded.
Notes	Study duration 2010 to 2011 Funding: not reported Conflicts of Interest: none
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Computer‐generated random numbers used.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Allocation concealed within sealed envelopes.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Participants blinded. Acupuncturist not blinded however this should not have influenced the outcome measures recorded.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Both outcome assessor and statistician were blinded as to randomisation. All the participants were evaluated for outcomes by 1 gynaecologist.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Dropout rate low, 2 women discontinued in the verum group, 3 women in the sham group, therefore similar across both groups with no group‐specific differences in the reason for dropout.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	No study protocol published but prospective trial registration showed all outcomes were reported.
Other bias	Unclear risk	Insufficent reporting to judge.