Moxibustion relieved menstrual pain and mood symptoms, with treatment before menstruation providing greater benefits than treatment begun at menstrual onset.
Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were assigned to receive moxibustion before menstruation, at menstrual onset, or no treatment. Both treatment groups received moxibustion at the Sanyinjiao and Guanyuan acupuncture points, while symptoms, pain intensity, anxiety, and depression were assessed across baseline, treatment, and follow-up menstrual cycles.
Both moxibustion schedules reduced menstrual pain duration compared with no treatment, but pre-menstrual treatment produced greater improvement than treatment initiated at menstrual onset. The two treatment timings showed similar benefits for pain intensity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
