Acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy that can offer relief to women suffering from menstrual pain. Several acupuncture points on the arms and lower legs have successfully been used to treat women with dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, and endometriosis, who were not responding to conventional treatment. However, consult with a pain management specialist or a gynecologist before seeking alternative therapies.
Menstrual Pain Reduction
A study published in the March 2011 issue of “Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” investigated the effectiveness of a three-month acupuncture treatment to reduce period pain. Researchers recruited 92 young women and teens, aged 14 to 25, diagnosed with dysmenorrhea and randomly assigned them to one of two groups; one treated with acupuncture and a control group using a placebo treatment. During a six-month follow-up interview, women in the acupuncture group reported a significant reduction in pain symptoms during menses compared to the control group. However, a 12-month follow-up found no difference in reported pain level, which indicated only temporary pain relief.
SP6 Acupuncture Point
The SP6 acupuncture point is located on the inside of the lower leg, approximately four inches above the ankle, and is used by acupuncturists to reduce pain during the menstrual cycle. An article in the February 2011 issue of “Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice” investigated the effects of SP6 acupuncture on college-aged females diagnosed with dysmenorrhea. The study included 30 women, divided into two groups: one receiving SP6 treatment and the second receiving a light touch on the SP6 acupoint. The researchers discovered significant differences immediately after treatment and three hours afterward. The study concluded that SP6 treatment effectively relieved menstrual pain in women suffering from dysmenorrhea.
Other Acupuncture Points
Dysmenorrhea is typically caused by a stagnation of liver qi, or energy, from impeded flow and accumulation of blood in the uterus, according to a study in the June 2004 issue of the “Journal of Acupressure and Tuina Science.” The researchers recruited 38 women who complained of pain in the lower abdomen before or during menstruation and treated them with acupuncture using 12 points: LR3, CV6, CV4, SP6, SP8, ST36, MA-TF, MA-AT, MA-TF1, MA-IC3, MA-AH7, and MA-SC5. After seven daily 30 minute treatments before the onset of menstruation, the researchers found an overall 97.4 percent reported a reduction in pain, through participation in questionnaires.
Chronic Pelvic Pain
Researchers from the New England School of Acupuncture in Massachusetts reported two cases of chronic pelvic pain in adolescent girls successfully treated by acupuncture. After treatments, both patients reported modest improvement in abdominal pain, headaches, nausea and fatigue by measurements of symptoms through self-reported questionnaires. The study concluded that acupuncture is a safe alternative treatment for adolescent females with pelvic pain, who were not responding to conventional interventions, but noted the need for further trials on the safety and efficacy of acupuncture therapy in pelvis pain relief.
References
- “The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine”; Adolescent Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain Treated with Acupuncture: Two Case Reports; E. Highfield, et al.; April 2006
- “Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science”;Treatment of Dysmenorrhea by Acupuncture Plus Auricular Acupuncture; Z. Cai, et al.; June 2004
- “Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice”; The Effects of Acupressure on Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial; N. Mirbagher-Ajorpaz, et al.; February 2011
- “Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine”; Acupuncture to Treat Primary Dysmenorrhea in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial; C. Smith, et al.; March 2011
