Acupuncture safely reduced menstrual pain duration and improved wellbeing in women with endometriosis, although benefits diminished after treatment stopped.
Women aged twenty to forty with endometriosis-related pain were recruited from four tertiary hospitals and randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Treatments were delivered over twelve weeks, with sessions scheduled before expected menstruation and daily treatment during menstruation when pelvic pain occurred. Participants were then followed for an additional twelve weeks. Researchers assessed pelvic pain, menstrual pain duration, mood, depression, pain-related functioning, and endometriosis-related quality of life.
Compared with sham treatment, acupuncture produced greater short-term reductions in menstrual pain and shortened the duration of painful menstruation. It also led to greater improvements in pain-related functioning, mood, depressive symptoms, wellbeing, and quality of life after treatment. However, these advantages were no longer apparent by the end of follow-up, and acupuncture did not outperform sham treatment for nonmenstrual pelvic pain or pain during intercourse. No serious safety concerns were reported.
