The Effect of the Emotional Freedom Technique Applied to Postmenopausal Women Before Probe Curettage on Pain, Anxiety and Vital Signs. (EFT-ANXIETY)

January 9, 2026 updated by: Elif Elmas, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University
The aim of the study is to examine the effect of the emotional freedom technique applied to postmenopausal women before the probe curettage procedure on pain, anxiety and vital signs.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

In this experimentally designed study, it was aimed to examine the effect of the emotional freedom technique applied to postmenopausal women before the probe curettage procedure on pain, anxiety and vital signs.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
132

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye), 4600
        • Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi
    • Kahramanmaraş
      • Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye), 4600
        • kahramanmaraş NFK Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital Additional Service Building
      • Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye), 4600
        • Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Those who are in menopause
  • Do not have conditions such as infection, wound or scar in the tapping areas,
  • Having no problem communicating in Turkish,
  • Those who have not used any analgesic medication in the last 24 hours,
  • Those who have not had probe curettage before,
  • Volunteer to participate in the study,
  • Not using any medication that directly affects vital signs,
  • Does not have a disease that would cause problems in feeling pain,
  • Not using antidepressants, anxiolytics and sedative agents.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Those who are not in menopause

    • Women who have had probe curettage before
    • Their general condition deteriorates during the procedure or a different intervention is made with anesthesia,
    • Any complications developed during the procedure,
    • Those who experienced syncope during the procedure and the procedure was continued with general/local anesthesia,
    • Having a psychiatric problem,
    • Analgesic medication used during the procedure,
    • Having cognitive, affective, perceptual problems.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: EFT İNVERTİON GROUP
During the initial consultation, the Personal Information Form, SUE Scale, State Anxiety Scale (SAS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) Monitoring Form will be administered. EFT, which lasts approximately 30-40 minutes, will be administered to women by the researcher. Second measurement: Immediately after EFT, the SUE Scale, State Anxiety Scale (SAS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) will be administered again. Following the second measurement, the probe curettage will be performed. Third measurement: During the procedure, the VAS and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) Monitoring Form will be administered. Fourth measurement: After the probe curettage, women will be given 2 minutes to rest. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen satur
Behavioral: emotional freedom technique
In this study, the effect of emotional freedom technique on pain, anxiety, and vital signs prior to the probe curettage procedure will be examined. The EFT session will be administered by an EFT specialist approximately 40 minutes prior to the probe curettage procedure by tapping on the tapping points.
No Intervention: control group
During the initial consultation, the Personal Information Form, SUE Scale, State Anxiety Scale (SAS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) Monitoring Form will be administered. Second measurement: The SUE Scale, State Anxiety Scale (SAS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) will be administered again simultaneously with the EFT group. Following the second measurement, a probe curettage will be performed. Third measurement: During the procedure, the VAS and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) Monitoring Form will be applied. Fourth measurement: After the probe curettage, women will be given 2 minutes to rest. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation/SpO2) Monitoring Form will be applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure) and during the probe curettage procedure.
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), a numeric rating scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Baseline (pre-procedure) and during the probe curettage procedure.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State Version (STAI-I)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure) and immediately post-procedure.
Anxiety levels will be assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State Version (STAI-I), which measures situational anxiety at a specific point in time. The scale consists of 20 items, with total scores ranging from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety.
Baseline (pre-procedure) and immediately post-procedure.
Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured to evaluate physiological responses associated with the probe curettage procedure and the effect of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Heart Rate
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Heart rate will be measured to assess autonomic physiological responses related to anxiety, pain, and procedural stress during the probe curettage procedure.
Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Peripheral oxygen saturation will be measured to monitor respiratory and physiological stability during and after the probe curettage procedure.
Baseline (pre-procedure), during the probe curettage procedure, and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
State-Uncertainty Emotion (SUE) Scale
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-procedure) and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).
Emotional distress related to uncertainty will be assessed using the State-Uncertainty Emotion (SUE) Scale. The scale is scored on a numeric scale from 0 to 10, where higher scores indicate greater emotional distress and uncertainty.
Baseline (pre-procedure) and immediately post-procedure (within 2 minutes after completion).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 21, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2026

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • KSU-MED-TRIAL-01
  • 2024/109 (Other Identifier: Ethics Committee Protocol Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to privacy concerns and to ensure confidentiality of personal information. Additionally, the data is collected for a specific study and will not be made available for secondary analyses.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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