2025-03-28
Needles for pain relief?
Gynecology
#Endometriosis #Acupuncture #PelvicPain
#AlternativeMedicine #MetaAnalysis
Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. It affects nearly 10% of women of reproductive age and often presents with chronic pelvic pain, severe dysmenorrhea, digestive issues, dyspareunia, and infertility. Despite a wide range of available treatments (painkillers, hormone therapy, surgery), many patients report persistent symptoms, with side effects that can be poorly tolerated.
In this context, there is growing interest in complementary therapies, particularly acupuncture and its variants, used for millennia in traditional Chinese medicine. While increasingly popular, their effectiveness remains debated—especially when compared to standard treatments.
This network meta-analysis evaluates the relevance and safety of various acupuncture techniques in relieving symptoms related to endometriosis.
31 randomized trials including 3,143 women with symptomatic endometriosis were selected. The approaches tested included:
The treatment duration ranged from 2 to 12 weeks, with 2 to 7 sessions per week depending on the protocol. The symptoms assessed included pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and digestive pain.
The results highlight several strengths. The combination of electroacupuncture and moxibustion emerged as the most effective strategy for reducing pelvic pain, showing significant improvement compared to other approaches (SMD = -2.24). Auricular acupuncture, on the other hand, showed targeted effectiveness for dysmenorrhea, particularly when combined with other techniques.
Overall, all forms of acupuncture evaluated proved more effective than conventional treatments alone (painkillers or hormone therapy) in relieving pain. Lastly, the safety profile was excellent, with few adverse effects reported—mostly minor and transient reactions like redness or small bruises at the needle site.
Endometriosis is a painful and complex condition that often resists conventional treatments. Many women turn to non-drug approaches in search of complementary solutions to relieve pain and improve quality of life.
This study aimed to determine whether different forms of acupuncture, alone or in combination, could be effective and safe interventions for reducing endometriosis-related symptoms.
The findings show a significant impact on pelvic and menstrual pain, as well as dyspareunia, with a very good safety profile. Acupuncture—especially when combined with moxibustion or applied as electroacupuncture—thus stands out as a credible complementary therapeutic option, particularly for women looking to avoid or limit hormone therapy or surgery.
However, several methodological limitations must be noted:
More rigorous clinical trials, with standardized protocols, long-term follow-up, and functional and reproductive outcome measures, are needed to confirm these benefits and guide their integration into care pathways.
In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that well-placed needles could offer lasting relief to women suffering from endometriosis—provided they are used within a structured, appropriate, and scientifically validated therapeutic framework.
Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. It affects nearly 10% of women of reproductive age and often presents with chronic pelvic pain, severe dysmenorrhea, digestive issues, dyspareunia, and infertility. Despite a wide range of available treatments (painkillers, hormone therapy, surgery), many patients report persistent symptoms, with side effects that can be poorly tolerated.
In this context, there is growing interest in complementary therapies, particularly acupuncture and its variants, used for millennia in traditional Chinese medicine. While increasingly popular, their effectiveness remains debated—especially when compared to standard treatments.
This network meta-analysis evaluates the relevance and safety of various acupuncture techniques in relieving symptoms related to endometriosis.
Do needles really work?
31 randomized trials including 3,143 women with symptomatic endometriosis were selected. The approaches tested included:
- Traditional acupuncture,
- Electroacupuncture,
- Moxibustion (heat stimulation),
- Auricular acupuncture,
- And several combinations of these techniques.
The treatment duration ranged from 2 to 12 weeks, with 2 to 7 sessions per week depending on the protocol. The symptoms assessed included pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and digestive pain.
The results highlight several strengths. The combination of electroacupuncture and moxibustion emerged as the most effective strategy for reducing pelvic pain, showing significant improvement compared to other approaches (SMD = -2.24). Auricular acupuncture, on the other hand, showed targeted effectiveness for dysmenorrhea, particularly when combined with other techniques.
Overall, all forms of acupuncture evaluated proved more effective than conventional treatments alone (painkillers or hormone therapy) in relieving pain. Lastly, the safety profile was excellent, with few adverse effects reported—mostly minor and transient reactions like redness or small bruises at the needle site.
Read next: Endometriosis: the Impact of hormones, sexual practice, and surgical treatments
A prick of relief?
Endometriosis is a painful and complex condition that often resists conventional treatments. Many women turn to non-drug approaches in search of complementary solutions to relieve pain and improve quality of life.
This study aimed to determine whether different forms of acupuncture, alone or in combination, could be effective and safe interventions for reducing endometriosis-related symptoms.
The findings show a significant impact on pelvic and menstrual pain, as well as dyspareunia, with a very good safety profile. Acupuncture—especially when combined with moxibustion or applied as electroacupuncture—thus stands out as a credible complementary therapeutic option, particularly for women looking to avoid or limit hormone therapy or surgery.
However, several methodological limitations must be noted:
- Variable quality of the included studies,
- Heterogeneity of treatment protocols,
- And a lack of long-term follow-up, making it difficult to assess the durability of observed effects.
More rigorous clinical trials, with standardized protocols, long-term follow-up, and functional and reproductive outcome measures, are needed to confirm these benefits and guide their integration into care pathways.
In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that well-placed needles could offer lasting relief to women suffering from endometriosis—provided they are used within a structured, appropriate, and scientifically validated therapeutic framework.
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