Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea

May 11, 2026 updated by: Yasemin Cayir, Ataturk University

The Effect Of Acupuncture On Pain And Quality Of Life in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized-Controlled Study

The main aim is to investigate the effects of acupuncture on pain intensity and health-related quality of life in women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 women with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to an acupuncture group (AG; n = 30) or a control group (CG; n = 34). The AG received manual body acupuncture every other day for three menstrual cycles (five sessions per cycle, total of 15 sessions), starting 3-4 days before menstruation in each cycle. The CG received routine recommendations without additional intervention. Pain intensity, functional and emotional impact, and quality of life were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Functional and Emotional Dysmenorrhea Scale (FEDS), and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Measurements were performed at baseline and on days 30, 60, and 90.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

64

Phase

  • 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

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • to be women aged 18-35 years with a confirmed diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea for at least one year
  • regular menstrual cycles (28 ± 7 days)
  • a VAS score ≥4 in the previous cycle

Exclusion Criteria:

  • secondary dysmenorrhea
  • currently pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding
  • used oral contraceptives or intrauterine devices in the last 3 months,
  • received acupuncture in the past 6 months, had open wounds at acupuncture points
  • presented with severe psychiatric disorder or cognitive impairment

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Acupuncture Group (AG)
Patients in the AG received classical body acupuncture. The acupuncture points used were: LI-4, LIV-3, KID-3, SP-6, SP-8, HT-7, LU-9, P-6, BL-57, ST-25,28,29,30,36, GV-20, CV-2,3,4,5,6.
Other: acupuncture
classical body acupuncture with needle without electrical stimulation
Active Comparator: Control Group (CG)
The control group received no acupuncture session but continued NSAID therapy (400 mg ibuprofen three times daily during menstruation) and routine follow-up.
Drug: NSAIDs
NSAID therapy (400 mg ibuprofen three times daily during menstruation) and routine follow-up

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: 3 months
VAS measures pain severity
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Functional and Emotional Dysmenorrhea Scale (FEDS)
Time Frame: 3 months
FEDS evaluates the multidimensional impact of dysmenorrhea on participants' daily functioning and emotional well-being
3 months
Short Form-36 (SF-36)
Time Frame: 3 months
SF-36 measures quality of life.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ataturk University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TTU-2022-10772

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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