Endometriosis is a disease in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterine cavity. It is the most common cause of chronic pelvic pain and can cause infertility in women. The usual treatment consists of medications that block the production of ovarian stimulating hormones.
We currently have studies showing that acupuncture is at least as effective as hormonal treatment for endometriosis, but in some studies it has been shown to be even more effective. Acupuncture relieves menstrual pain due to endometriosis, reduces the size of pelvic masses, lowers CA125 levels and reduces the recurrence rate of endometriosis.
Researchers at Tongji University Hospital compared acupuncture with standard drug therapy.
Patients who received acupuncture achieved an overall effective rate of 92.0%. Patients receiving a progesterone inhibitor achieved an overall effective rate of 52.0%.
Acupuncture reduced pain levels more significantly than medication. Relapse rates were lower in the acupuncture group than in the progesterone inhibitor-treated group. One-year follow-up examinations determined that the recurrence rate for the group receiving medication treatment was 36%. In comparison, the group receiving acupuncture had an endometriosis recurrence rate of 20%. Pelvic mass size and proliferation decreased more significantly in the acupuncture treatment group than in the drug group.
The best results for the treatment of endometriosis have been obtained from studies combining acupuncture with Chinese herbal formulas, especially for preventing relapses after surgery. Treatment with acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas has been shown to be better tolerated than drug treatment and more effective in preventing relapses after surgery.
Scientific studies on acupuncture in the treatment of endometriosis
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- Dong H. et al. (2017). Effect of Acupuncture on Endometrial Angiogenesis and Uterus Dendritic Cells in COH Rats during Peri-Implantation Period. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : Ecam, 14 May 2017, 2017:3647080. DOI: 10.1155/2017/3647080
- Qun Shen; Jing Lu et al. (2017). Clinical Observation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion for Endometriosis. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture. Apr-Jun2017, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p96-100. 5p.
- Xu Y, Zhao W, et al (2017). Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;12(10):e0186616. Published 2017 Oct 27. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186616.
- Chunyan Zhang et al. (2016). Clinical effect evaluation of acupuncture combined with medication for prevention of endometriosis recurrence after surgery. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2016 Mar;36(3):237-42.
- Xiao Yun Zhang et al. (2014). Efficacy observation on the combination of acupuncture and Chinese medication in prevention of the recurrence of endometriosis after laparoscopic surgery. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2014 Feb;34(2):139-44.
