Acupuncture-related therapies may improve insulin resistance, reproductive endocrine outcomes, and ovarian morphology in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Methods involved a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, both in Chinese and English, collected from eight databases up to September 2025. The trials involved women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome using internationally recognized criteria. The methodologies compared different acupuncture-related therapies like acupuncture, moxibustion and electroacupuncture versus conventional medication and/or placebo treatment. The primary outcome measured was insulin resistance, while secondary endpoints included metrics of obesity, endocrine indicators, and ovarian morphology features. The efficacy and safety of 12 acupoint therapy regimes were identified through these studies.
The analysis results indicated that different forms of acupuncture-related therapies can produce significant improvements in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Therapies like acupoint injection therapy and acupuncture coupled with moxibustion have been found to effectively decrease insulin resistance. Additionally, catgut implantation at acupoint, acupuncture, and a combination of acupuncture and moxibustion, were proven to reduce fasting insulin levels. Combination acupuncture and moxibustion and laser acupuncture successfully reduced body mass index and luteinizing hormone respectively. Warm needle therapy and acupuncture also showed significant reductions in antral follicle count, a feature of ovarian morphology. Overall, acupuncture was identified as one of the top interventions across multiple outcomes. Most reported adverse events were not serious and transient.
