Acupuncture helps endometriosis pain and is an acceptable and well-tolerated option compared with usual care, according to Australian researchers. In a small feasibility study, 29 women aged 18 to 45 with chronic endometriosis-related pelvic pain, were randomised to receive either acupuncture plus usual care, or usual care alone. Acupuncture was given twice a week for eight weeks.
The trial was completed by 19 of the 29 participants: 53% of the usual care group withdrew, compared with 14% of the acupuncture group, leading the authors to conclude that usual care alone was not an acceptable control. Only in the acupuncture group, did median pain scores decrease: 1.9 points for non-menstrual pain and 2.0 points for menstrual pain, both between baseline and the end of the trial. Improvements in all domains of an endometriosis health profile were seen in the acupuncture group, with no such changes observed for usual care.
(Manual Acupuncture Plus Usual Care Versus Usual Care Alone in the Treatment of Endometriosis-Related Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, October 2021.)