Systematic review, 2010
Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome?
Evidence for acupuncture treating PMS is limited and understudied. Most evidence focuses on period pain and menopause, but all evidence has quality problems.
What they did
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. Searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library from inception to September 2009. Extracted data from 5 systematic reviews and 6 randomized controlled trials. Two authors reviewed each for quality.
What they found
Period pain and menopause symptoms received more clinical research than other reproductive complaints. However, evidence for acupuncture treating period pain and menopause remains unclear due to small study populations and methodological problems. Acupuncture for PMS and other menstrual symptoms is understudied, with evidence often from single studies.
What it means for you
There is not enough good evidence to know if acupuncture works for PMS. The studies have been small and have design problems. Much more rigorous research is needed before concluding acupuncture helps PMS.
5
systematic reviews reviewed
6
randomized controlled trials reviewed
About the study
- Original title
- Acupuncture to treat common reproductive health complaints: An overview of the evidence
- Authors
- Smith CA, Carmady B
- Journal
- Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- Acupuncture
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2010.03.013
Topics
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