Individualized Acupoint Therapy for Dysmenorrhea: An Exploratory Research Design Based on Meridian Measurement

September 9, 2026 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Individualized Acupoint Therapy for Dysmenorrhea: An Exploratory Research Design and Feasibility Assessment Based on Meridian Measurement

Primary dysmenorrhea is a common condition that significantly affects young women's quality of life. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupoint interventions are widely used for symptom relief; however, standardized fixed-acupoint approaches often overlook individual meridian status variations.

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility, preliminary efficacy, and physiological responses of an individualized meridian-guided intervention for primary dysmenorrhea in females aged 18-30. Utilizing non-invasive skin electrical resistance measurements (AETOSCAN) to assess baseline meridian energy status, eligible dysmenorrhea participants will be randomized into two parallel arms: an individualized meridian-guided intervention group and a standardized fixed-acupoint group. Interventions will be administered twice weekly over a 4-week cycle. The primary outcomes focus on changes in pain severity (VAS), menstrual distress scores (MDQ), and objective meridian electrical characteristics.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taichung, Taiwan, 404327
        • China Medical University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Yu-Chen Lee

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 20 female participants with a history of primary dysmenorrhea symptoms.
  • 20 healthy female controls without significant dysmenorrhea symptoms.
  • Age Range: Females aged 18-30 years.
  • Menstrual Regularity: Regular menstrual cycles, defined as a cycle duration of 21-35 days.
  • Menstrual Stability: Relatively stable menstrual patterns within the past 3 months.
  • Informed Consent & Compliance: Willingness to comply with all measurement and intervention protocols, and provided signed written informed consent.
  • Medication Management: Agreeing not to use additional analgesics or traditional conditioning treatments during the intervention period (or agreeing to accurately report and record any use).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major Gynecological Conditions:

    1. History of major gynecological disorders.
    2. Confirmed diagnosis of structural or organic gynecological conditions, including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

  • Pharmacological Interference:

    1. Long-term use of medications that affect the menstrual cycle.
    2. Currently undergoing hormonal therapy or long-term administration of analgesics.
  • Physiological States: Pregnancy or current breastfeeding.
  • General Health Status: Recent acute systemic inflammation or major systemic illnesses.
  • Prior Treatment Confounding: Recent receipt of intensive acupuncture, moxibustion, or related meridian-based therapies.

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active Control: Standard Acupoint Group
Participants in this arm receive standardized, fixed-acupoint laser acupuncture (or sham-like press-needle/seeding on standard dysmenorrhea points such as SP6, CV4, CV6) regardless of their individual meridian electrical resistance profile.
Device: TI-816-3E3 Portable Laser Phototherapy Device
Application of low-level laser acupuncture on predefined classic acupoints (SP6, CV4, CV6) for 20 minutes per session, twice per week for 4 consecutive weeks.
Device: TI-816-3E3 Portable Laser Phototherapy Device
Application of low-level laser acupuncture tailored to individual meridian imbalance profiles identified by AETOSCAN, for 20 minutes per session, twice per week for 4 consecutive weeks.
Experimental: Experimental: Individualized Meridian-Guided Group
Participants in this arm receive individualized laser acupuncture based on real-time meridian electrical resistance measurements using AETOSCAN prior to each intervention session.
Device: TI-816-3E3 Portable Laser Phototherapy Device
Application of low-level laser acupuncture on predefined classic acupoints (SP6, CV4, CV6) for 20 minutes per session, twice per week for 4 consecutive weeks.
Device: TI-816-3E3 Portable Laser Phototherapy Device
Application of low-level laser acupuncture tailored to individual meridian imbalance profiles identified by AETOSCAN, for 20 minutes per session, twice per week for 4 consecutive weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Dysmenorrhea Pain Severity via Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).

The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a 0-100 mm continuous scale used to measure subjective menstrual pain severity (0 = no pain, 100 = worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.

Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).
Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Menstrual Distress Symptoms via Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ Form C)
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).
The MDQ Form C consists of 46 items across 8 subscales assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = no symptom to 4 = severe symptom). Total scores range from 0 to 184, with higher scores reflecting greater menstrual distress.
Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).
Change in Meridian Electrical Resistance Profiles
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).
Objective skin electrical resistance (in microamperes, µA) measured across twelve primary meridian Yuan-Source points using the AETOSCAN system to assess systemic physiological energy shifts.
Baseline (Pre-treatment), Mid-treatment (Week 2 of intervention), and Post-treatment (Week 4, immediately following intervention completion).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

China Medical University Hospital

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CMUH115-REC2-152

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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