Study on the effect of acupuncture for menstrual cramps

Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common disorders in women of childbearing age. The present study under Geetha B. Shetty was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea .

Sixty women aged 17 to 23 years were randomly assigned to either a study group or a control group. The study group received acupuncture for a duration of 20 minutes per day, 15 days per month, over a period of 90 days. The control group received no acupuncture over the same period. The baseline measurements as well as the measurements during and after the intervention were taken on days 1, 30, 60 and 90. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures analysis of variance, followed by a post-hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, an independent samples t-test for the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score and a Mann-Whitney U-test for the remaining variables using the SPSS version 16 statistical program.

This study showed a significant reduction in all variables such as the Visual Analog Scale score for pain, menstrual cramps, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, fainting, mood swings, fatigue, nausea and vomiting in the study group compared to the control group.

Acupuncture could be considered an effective treatment option for the management of primary dysmenorrhea.