Tutkimusta akupunktiosta naisten hedelmällisyyden ja gynekologisten ongelmien hoidossa

Akupunktiota käytetään ja tutkitaan paljon erilaisten gynekologisten ongelmien hoidossa, kuten kivuliaiden tai epäsäännöllisten kuukautisten hoidossa, PMS-oireiden lievittämisessä sekä vaihdevuosiin liittyvistä ongelmista. Lisäksi akupunktiota tutkitaan paljon hedelmällisyyden hoitamisessa.

Systemaattisia katsauksia akupunktiotutkimuksia on tehty esimerkiksi:

  • erilaisista sukuelinten ja lantionpohjan kivuista
  • virtsaamiseen liittyvistä ongelmista kuten virtsankarkailusta
  • akupunktiosta hedelmällisyyshoitojen tukena
  • sikiön käännöstä
  • seksuaalisesta haluttomuudesta
  • vaihdevuosioireiden, kuten unettomuuden tai masennuksen helpottamisesta
  • monirakkulaisten munasarjojen aiheuttamasta hedelmättömyydestä
  • virtsatietulehdusten hoidosta
  • rintasyöpähoitojen tukihoidosta
  • synnytyskipujen hoidosta
  • kuukautisongelmista
 
 

Selaa tutkimuksia tai valitse aiheaulue

Kipu Migreeni Naisten terveys Miesten terveys Metabolia & sydänterveys Ruuansulatuselimistö Syövän tukihoito Psyykkinen terveys ja uni Neurologiset ongelmat Vaikutusmekanismit Muut


 
 

Identifying the effective combination of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs for postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy through studies of their molecular regulation of bone homeostasis.

"Worldwide, as the population age, osteoporosis is becoming increasingly common, and osteoporotic fractures have a significant economic burden. Postmenopausal women are the most susceptible to developing osteoporosis and the most critical time to prevent it is during the perimenopausal and early menopausal years. In this regard, we hypothesize rational combination of acupuncture and Traditional ..."
Ping R., Quanwu W. et al. (2024) Identifying the effective combination of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs for postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy through studies of their molecular regulation of bone homeostasis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2024;44(1):212-212.   🔗

Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on women related health.

"Globally, public health interventions have resulted in a 30-year increase in women's life expectancy. However, women's health has not increased when socioeconomic status is ignored. Women's health has become a major public health concern, for those women from developing countries are still struggling with infectious and labor-related diseases, and their counterparts in developed countries ..."
Qin H., Feng J. et al. (2023) Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on women related health. Front Med. 2023.  🔗

Role of acupuncture in the present approach to labor induction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Seventeen studies including 3262 women fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant differences between groups for outcomes (relative risk [RR]: 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91, 1.10; I: 11%) comparing acupuncture versus sham acupuncture. However, there was a statistically significant increase in the spontaneous onset of labour rate favoring acupuncture VS no acupuncture (RR: 1.12; 95%CI: 1.03, 1.23; I= 25%). Regarding the age analysis, no differences between groups were observed in the spontaneous labor rate and cesarean rate for acupuncture versus sham and acupuncture versus no-acupuncture comparisons (difference between groups, p>0.05). ..."
Zamora-Brito M., Fernández-Jané C. et al. (2023) Role of acupuncture in the present approach to labor induction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023:101272-101272.  🔗

Acupuncture for endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Six studies involving a total of 331 participants were included. Evidence for benefit was found for acupuncture compared to non-specific acupuncture on overall pelvic pain ( = 1.54, 95 % CI 0.92 to 2.16, 3 RCTs,  = 231, low certainty evidence, <0.001), menstrual pain ( = 1.67, 95 % CI 1.23 to 2.12, 1 RCT,  = 106, moderate certainty evidence, <0.001), and non-specified pelvic pain (MD -2.77, 95 % CI 2.15 to 3.38, 2 RCTs,  = 125, low certainty evidence, <0.001), and compared to usual care on menstrual pain ( = 0.9, 95 % CI 0.15 to 1.64, 1 RCT,  = 19, very low certainty evidence,  = 0.02). Most studies reported low rates of adverse events. ..."
Giese N., Kwon K. et al. (2023) Acupuncture for endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Integr Med Res. 2023;12(4):101003-101003.   🔗

Comparison of acupuncture and moxibustion related non-surgical therapies for women with stress urinary incontinence: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

"...RESULTS: A total of 31 RCTs involving 2922 participants were included in the analysis. A total of 18 treatment plans were identified. The treatment plan consisting of Moxibustion + PFMT + EB demonstrated the most significant reduction in ICIQ-UI-SF. Due to lack of consistency across studies, a NMA was not performed for the outcomes of effectiveness and the 1 h pad test. ..."
Zhou Z., Zhang Y. et al. (2023) Comparison of acupuncture and moxibustion related non-surgical therapies for women with stress urinary incontinence: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Explore (NY). 2023.  🔗

Comparative efficacy of Acupuncture-related interventions for Tubal obstructive infertility: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

"... results. RESULT: The network meta-analysis included 1580 articles, with 23 meeting the criteria. These studies involved 2355 patients and explored 13 intervention measures. Acupuncture-related therapies outperformed control interventions in improving pregnancy rates, tubal patency rates, and overall effectiveness while demonstrating a lower incidence of adverse events. EA+CHM was identified as the most effective for pregnancy rates, MOX for tubal patency rates, and MOX+AP for overall effectiveness. The safety profile of acupuncture-related interventions was acceptable. These findings support acupuncture-related therapies as effective and safe options for tubal obstructive infertility management. Further high-quality research is needed to validate and expand upon these results. ..."
Huang W., Ling J. et al. (2023) Comparative efficacy of Acupuncture-related interventions for Tubal obstructive infertility: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2023:103003-103003.  🔗

Acupuncture Treatment for Emotional Problems in Women with Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating emotional problems in women with infertility. We searched for randomized controlled trials using acupuncture treatment for emotional problems in women with infertility using 11 databases from their inception to 30 June 2023. The control intervention included no treatment, sham acupuncture treatment, ..."
Hwang S., Yoon Y. et al. (2023) Acupuncture Treatment for Emotional Problems in Women with Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(20).  🔗

Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...RESULTS: A total of 58 eligible RCTs representing 10,968 women undergoing IVF for pregnant success were identifified. Pooled CPR and LBR showed a signifificant difference between acupuncture and control groups [69 comparisons, relative risk (RR) 1.19, 95% confifidence intervals (CI) 1.12 to 1.25, I=0], extremely low evidence; 23 comparisons, RR 1.11, 95%CI 1.02 to 1.21, I=14.6, low evidence, respectively). Only transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation showed a positive effect on both CPR (16 comparisons, RR 1.17, 95%CI 1.06 to 1.29; I=0, moderate evidence) and LBR (9 comparisons, RR 1.20, 95%CI 1.04 to 1.37; I=8.5, extremely low evidence). Heterogeneity across studies was found and no studies were graded as high-quality evidence. ..."
Zhang H., Zhang C. et al. (2023) Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Chin J Integr Med. 2023.  🔗

Effect of acupressure in nausea and vomiting treatment during pregnancy: A meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: We included 33 trials and 3 390 patients in this meta-analysis. Acupressure was effective for women with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (odds ratio (OR)= 4.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.47, 6.68]; p<0.0001); it significantly reduced the nausea score of the Rhodes index (mean square deviation (MD): -3.21, 95% CI [-4.85, -1.57], Z = 3.83, p = 0.0001), modified Pregnancy Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea score (MD: -2.18, 95% CI [-3.21, -1.15], Z = 4.15, p<0.0001), and hospital stay (OR=-3.27, 95% CI [-6.18, -0.36]; p = 0.03) and improved quality of life (MD: -14.06,95% CI [- 17.31, -10.18], Z = 8.48, p<0.00001). However, no significant difference was observed in nursing satisfaction and anxiety scores (OR=4.13, 95% CI [0.89, 19.15]; p = 0.07) (MD: -13.26,95% CI [-32.04,5.53], Z = 1.38, p = 0.17). ..."
Gong J., Gu D. et al. (2023) Effect of acupressure in nausea and vomiting treatment during pregnancy: A meta-analysis. Explore (NY). 2023.  🔗

Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Twenty-five trials (a total of 4757 participants) were included in this review. There were no significant publication biases for most of the comparisons among these studies. The pooled CPR (25 trials) of all the acupuncture groups (43.6%) was significantly higher than that of all the control groups (33.2%, P < 0.00001), and the pooled LBR (11 trials) of all the acupuncture groups (38.0%) was significantly higher than that of all the control groups (28.7%, P < 0.00001). Different acupuncture methods (manual acupuncture, electrical acupuncture and transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation), acupuncture time (before or during the time of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and around the time of embryo transfer), and acupuncture courses (at least 4 sessions and less than 4 sessions) have respectively positive effects on IVF outcomes. ..."
Xu M., Zhu M. et al. (2023) Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2023.  🔗

A Review on Acupuncture Efficiency in Human Polycystic Ovary/Ovarian Syndrome.

"...RESULTS: This research led us to an analysis, according to PICOS, of six final papers selected among 178 in total. The articles addressed distinct aspects of the PCOS condition, diverse acupuncture techniques and different main and secondary outcomes in agreement to the respective main objective. According to this review, acupuncture seems to be useful for the treatment of this debilitating and chronic health condition which affects millions of women worldwide, many of them part of the workforce in their community. ..."
de Oliveira N., Machado J. et al. (2023) A Review on Acupuncture Efficiency in Human Polycystic Ovary/Ovarian Syndrome. J Pharmacopuncture. 2023;26(2):105-105.   🔗

Analgesic Efficacy of Acupuncture on Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis Study.

"Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is the pain occurred in the pelvic region longer than six months. The monotherapy of medicine may not adequate for the pain management of CPP and multidisciplinary approaches have been more recommended. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pain management efficacy of acupuncture compared with a control ..."
Lin K., Chang Y. et al. (2023) Analgesic Efficacy of Acupuncture on Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis Study. Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(6).  🔗

Application of fMRI techniques in the study of acupuncture for gynecological diseases: A review.

"Acupuncture therapy, as a characteristic of Chinese medical therapy, has a long history and remarkable effect in the treatment of gynecological diseases, and so far, it has formed a complete treatment system, but its efficacy and mechanism of action remain unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, a visual technique, provides an objective basis for the ..."
Liu R., He M. et al. (2023) Application of fMRI techniques in the study of acupuncture for gynecological diseases: A review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2023;102(10):e33268-e33268.   🔗

Acupuncture for Women with Overactive Bladder: Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Related Mechanism.

"...RESULTS: We analyzed five RCTs and one comparative study on acupuncture for OAB to review and discuss the acupoint location, treatment course, and retention time based on clinical evidence and treatment ideas in traditional Chinese medicine. Additionally, we used the available evidence to reveal and discuss the acupuncture mechanisms for OAB. Acupuncture may regulate bladder function by inhibiting C-fibers, modulating nerve growth factors and reducing spontaneous contractions of the detrusor muscle. ..."
Wang H. & Lei X. (2023) Acupuncture for Women with Overactive Bladder: Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Related Mechanism. Int J Gen Med. 2023;16:1137-1137.  🔗

Revealing the Central Mechanism of Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea Based on Neuroimaging: A Narrative Review.

"...RESULTS: The literature review yielded 130 possibly qualified studies, and 23 articles fulfilled the criteria for inclusion. Regarding the type of acupuncture studies, 6 moxibustion studies and 17 manual acupuncture studies for primary dysmenorrhea were included. Based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI), and positron emission tomography-computer tomography techniques (PET-CT), one or more analysis methods such as amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), functional connectivity (FC), and independent components analysis (ICA) were used. The results are summarized. To summarize the high-frequency brain area alterations observed in patients with acupuncture-induced primary dysmenorrhea were the anterior cingulate gyrus, thalamus, insula, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, putamen, and cerebellum. ..."
Chen B., Guo Q. et al. (2023) Revealing the Central Mechanism of Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea Based on Neuroimaging: A Narrative Review. Pain Res Manag. 2023:8307249-8307249.  🔗

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for polycystic ovary syndrome: An overview of systematic reviews.

"...RESULTS: A total of 885 studies were retrieved, and 11 eligible SRs were finally included in this review. The methodological quality of 2 SRs (18.18%) was low, while the other 9 SRs (81.82%) were scored as extremely low. Four SRs (36.36%) were considered to be of low risk of bias. As for reporting quality, the reporting completeness of 9 SRs (81.82%) was more than 70%. Concerning the confidence in study results, 2 study results were considered to have a high quality of evidence (3.13%), 14 (21.88%) a "moderate" quality, 28 (43.75%) a "low" quality, and 20 (31.24%) considered a "very low" quality. Descriptive analyses suggested that combining acupuncture with other medicines can effectively improve the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and ovulation rate, and reduce luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and body mass index (BMI). When compared with medicine alone, acupuncture alone also can improve CPR. Further, when compared with no intervention, acupuncture had a better effect in promoting the recovery of menstrual cycle and reducing BMI. Acupuncture was reported to cause no adverse events or some adverse events without serious harm. ..."
Yang H., Xiao Z. et al. (2022) Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for polycystic ovary syndrome: An overview of systematic reviews. J Integr Med. 2022.  🔗

Acupuncture for treating overactive bladder in adults.

"...RESULTS: We included 15 studies involving 1395 participants in this review (14 RCTs and one quasi-RCT). All included studies raised some concerns regarding risk of bias. Blinding of participants to treatment group was only achieved in 20% of studies, we considered blinding of outcome assessors and allocation concealment to be low risk in only 25% of the studies, and random sequence generation to be either unclear or high risk in more than 50% of the studies. Acupuncture versus no treatment One study compared acupuncture to no treatment. The evidence is very uncertain regarding the effect of acupuncture compared to no treatment in curing or improving overactive bladder symptoms and on the number of minor adverse events (both very low-certainty evidence). The study report explicitly stated that no major adverse events occurred. The study did not report on the presence or absence of urinary urgency, episodes of urinary incontinence, daytime urinary frequency or episodes of nocturia. Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture Five studies compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of acupuncture on curing or improving overactive bladder symptoms compared to sham acupuncture (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.03 to 0.31; 3 studies; 151 participants; I = 65%; very low-certainty evidence). All five studies explicitly stated that there were no major adverse events observed during the study. Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that acupuncture probably makes no difference to the incidence of minor adverse events compared to sham acupuncture (risk ratio (RR) 1.28, 95% CI 0.30 to 5.36; 4 studies; 222 participants; I² = 0%). Only one small study reported data for the presence or absence of urgency and for episodes of nocturia. The evidence is of very low certainty for both of these outcomes and in both cases the lower confidence interval is implausible. Moderate-certainty evidence suggests there is probably little or no difference in episodes of urinary incontinence between acupuncture and sham acupuncture (mean difference (MD) 0.55, 95% CI -1.51 to 2.60; 2 studies; 121 participants; I = 57%). Two studies recorded data regarding daytime urinary frequency but we could not combine them in a meta-analysis due to differences in methodologies (very low-certainty evidence). Acupuncture versus medication Eleven studies compared acupuncture with medication. Low-certainty evidence suggests that acupuncture may slightly increase how many people's overactive bladder symptoms are cured or improved compared to medication (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.43; 5 studies; 258 participants; I = 19%). Low-certainty evidence suggests that acupuncture may reduce the incidence of minor adverse events when compared to medication (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.45; 8 studies; 1004 participants; I² = 51%). The evidence is uncertain regarding the effect of acupuncture on the presence or absence of urinary urgency (MD -0.40, 95% CI -0.56 to -0.24; 2 studies; 80 participants; I = 0%; very low-certainty evidence)and episodes of urinary incontinence (MD -0.33, 95% CI -2.75 to 2.09; 1 study; 20 participants; very low-certainty evidence) compared to medication. Low-certainty evidence suggests there may be little to no effect of acupuncture compared to medication in terms of daytime urinary frequency (MD 0.73, 95% CI -0.39 to 1.85; 4 studies; 360 participants; I = 28%). Acupuncture may slightly reduce the number of nocturia episodes compared to medication (MD -0.50, 95% CI -0.65 to -0.36; 2 studies; 80 participants; I = 0%, low-certainty evidence). There were no incidences of major adverse events in any of the included studies. However, major adverse events are rare in acupuncture trials and the numbers included in this review may be insufficient to detect these events. AUTHORS' ..."
Hargreaves E., Baker K. et al. (2022) Acupuncture for treating overactive bladder in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;9:CD013519.  🔗

Efficacy of various forms of acupuncture for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Ten trials were included in this review. The pooled analysis demonstrated that an increased proportion of women with stress UI (SUI) reported fewer UI episodes (1.73 [95% CI 1.46, 2.04]; p < 0.00001) in the electroacupuncture group than in the sham group. The meta-analysis also revealed a significantly increased number of women who reported the complete cure of SUI in the electroacupuncture combined with pelvic floor muscle training group than in the medication group (RR 2.67 [95% CI 1.51, 4.71]; p = 0.0007). Body and laser acupuncture caused significant decreases in the number of urge accidents (-2.70 [95% CI -4.86, -0.54]; p = 0.01) and the occurrence of urgency symptoms (-3.60[95% CI -5.34, -1.86]; p < 0.0001), compared with sham acupuncture. ..."
Kannan P. & Bello U. (2022) Efficacy of various forms of acupuncture for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Explore (NY). 2022.  🔗

A randomized sham-controlled trial of manual acupuncture for infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

"...Results: The trial was completed by 79 (91.86%) of the 86 randomly selected patients. During this study, the pregnancy rate in the MA group (46.34%) was significantly higher than the SA group (18.42%), with a of 0.008. Moreover, the ovulation rate of the MA group (58.14%) was higher than that of the SA group (45.74%), with a of 0.046. The improvement rate of PCOS score and testosterone level showed a statistical difference between the two groups ( were <0.05). There were no other differences between the two groups. Sex hormones level, including E2, T, P, LH, and LH/FSH were significantly lower after intervention in the MA group ( were <0.05) compared with baseline, while only the progesterone level was reduced in the SA group ( = 0.008). ..."
Pan W., Li F. et al. (2022) A randomized sham-controlled trial of manual acupuncture for infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Integr Med Res. 2022;11(2):100830.   🔗

The Limitation of Randomized Control Trials on the Influence of Acupuncture and Fertilization: A Literature Review.

": Acupuncture has gained popularity among patients undergoing fertilization (IVF). However, the beneficial effect of acupuncture for improving IVF success is controversial and debatable. Given that different meta-analyses have come to different conclusions, it is crucial to explore the clinical trials in more detail. This literature review examined the limitation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ..."
Wang Y., Shen X. et al. (2022) The Limitation of Randomized Control Trials on the Influence of Acupuncture and Fertilization: A Literature Review. Med Acupunct. 2022;34(1):24-33.   🔗

A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Therapy in the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea from 2001 to 2021.

"...Results: A total of 189 publications were extracted from 2001 to 2021. The total numbers of publication have steadily increased over the past two decades, and we have identified the most active countries, institutions, journals and authors in the field of acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea. The EVID-BASED COMPL ALT was the most productive journal, and the COCHRANE DB SYST REV with the highest IF. The first in the frequency and centrality is the journal of AM J OBSTET GYNECOL. The most productive country and institution are China and Beijing University Chinese Medicine. YANG J was the most prolific author and CHEN H had the highest citation counts. The centrality of cite references ranked the first conducted by Burnett M. The keyword of "primary dysmenorrhea" ranked first for research developments with the highest frequency. ..."
Zhu D., Xiao Y. et al. (2022) A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Therapy in the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea from 2001 to 2021. J Pain Res. 2022;15:3043-3057.  🔗

A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Acupuncture for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence.

"...Results: Eight published SRs/MAs were included in our overview. According to the results of the AMSTAR-2 assessment, all SRs/MAs were of very low quality. According to the ROBIS evaluation results, no SR/MA was assessed as low risk of bias. According to the results of the PRISMA checklist assessment, no SR/MA was fully reported on the checklist. According to GRADE, a total of 27 outcomes extracted from the included SRs/MAs were evaluated, and only 1 was rated as high quality. ..."
Shi H., Zhao L. et al. (2022) A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Acupuncture for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence. Pain Res Manag. 2022:5887862.  🔗

Effects of Acupuncture Combined with Moxibustion on Reproductive and Metabolic Outcomes in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...Results: Twenty-five RCTs ( = 1991) were included. The pooled results showed that the experimental group had significant increases in the pregnancy rate (RR 1.81, 95% CI 1.58 to 2.08) and ovulation rate (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.40) and decreases in the miscarriage rate (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.73), and ovarian volume (MD -0.75 cm, 95% CI -1.30 to -0.20). In the experimental group, improvements in the luteinizing hormone (LH) level, the LH-to-follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, total testosterone level, fasting insulin level, and body mass index, but not in FSH, oestradiol, or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels, were significantly greater. All reported adverse events were mild. Based on the limitations of risk of bias, inconsistency, imprecision, and/or publication bias, the level of evidence was judged to be moderate for the pregnancy rate, ovulation rate, miscarriage rate, LH level, and LH/FSH ratio and very low for the other outcomes. ..."
Li P., Peng J. et al. (2022) Effects of Acupuncture Combined with Moxibustion on Reproductive and Metabolic Outcomes in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022:3616036.  🔗

Acupuncture effects on in-vitro fertilization pregnancy outcomes: A meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Significantly higher outcomes with acupuncture were observed in biochemical pregnancy (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.55-2.53, p < 0.001); clinical pregnancy (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.46-1.98, p < 0.001); ongoing pregnancy (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.41-2.26, p < 0.001); and live birth (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.15-2.18, p = 0.005) compared to no adjuvant therapy controls. However, no significant difference were found between acupuncture and no adjuvant therapy controls in miscarriage (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.48-1.92, p = 0.91). No significant difference was observed with acupuncture in biochemical pregnancy (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.65-2.08, p = 0.62); clinical pregnancy (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.83-1.54, p = 0.43); ongoing pregnancy (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.66-1.62, p = 0.87); live birth (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.73-1.42, p = 0.90), and miscarriage (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.86-1.55, p = 0.34) compared to sham-controls. ..."
Zhou X., Li X. et al. (2021) Acupuncture effects on in-vitro fertilization pregnancy outcomes: A meta-analysis. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2021;46:101525.  🔗

Does acupuncture improve sexual dysfunction? A systematic review.

"OBJECTIVES: Sexual dysfunction can adversely affect the quality of life and interpersonal relationships. nowadays, a lot of attention is paid to traditional Chinese medicine with better curative effects and less adverse events. Recent studies have implied the promising effect of acupuncture on sexual function. This systematic review evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture ..."
Abdi F., Alimoradi Z. et al. (2021) Does acupuncture improve sexual dysfunction? A systematic review. J Complement Integr Med. 2021.  🔗

Acupuncture and herbal medicine for female infertility: an overview of systematic reviews.

"...Results: Twenty-one studies were included in this analysis. Eight studies were published in China, and three studies each were published in the USA, UK, and Australia. Conflicting evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture for infertile women has been reported. Herbal medicine for infertile women undergoing ART, women with anovulation, and women with polycystic ovary syndrome helped improve the clinical pregnancy rate. The methodological quality of SRs and MAs evaluated by AMSTAR 2 was low or very low because the protocol or list of excluded studies were omitted. ..."
Lee J., Hyun M. et al. (2021) Acupuncture and herbal medicine for female infertility: an overview of systematic reviews. Integr Med Res. 2021;10(3):100694.   🔗

Correction of Breech Presentation with Moxibustion and Acupuncture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"Acupuncture-type interventions (such as moxibustion and acupuncture) at Bladder 67 (BL67, Zhiyin point) have been proposed to have positive effects on breech presentation. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion and acupuncture in correcting breech presentation. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register ..."
Liao J., Shao S. et al. (2021) Correction of Breech Presentation with Moxibustion and Acupuncture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel). 2021;9(6).  🔗

Efficacy of acupuncture for urinary incontinence in middle-aged and elderly women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

"...RESULTS: A total of eight studies with 607 patients were included in the evaluation. The current meta-analysis showed that Compared with rehabilitation exercise or medication, acupuncture intervention significantly improved the clinical effectiveness (OR = 5.52, 95 % CI, 3.13-9.73), reduced the urine leakage in pad test (SMD = -2.67, 95 % CI, -4.05 to -1.29) and decrease the ICIQ-SF score (MD = -3.46, 95 % CI, -3.69 to -3.22). The results indicated that acupuncture intervention can help the patients alleviate the symptoms effectively. ..."
Yang N., Ge X. et al. (2021) Efficacy of acupuncture for urinary incontinence in middle-aged and elderly women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2021;257:138-143.  🔗

Acupuncture versus placebo acupuncture for in vitro fertilisation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Eight RCTs involving 3607 women were included. Studies were judged to be low risk for most of the risk of bias domains. Acupuncture around the time of embryo transfer was not significantly different to placebo acupuncture in terms of the clinical pregnancy rate (6 RCTs, 2473 women, risk ratio (RR) = 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.88, 1.11), I = 51%, moderate certainty evidence), ongoing pregnancy rate (4 RCTs, 1459 women, RR = 0.88 (95% CI = 0.75, 1.02), I = 50%, moderate certainty evidence), miscarriage rate (4 RCTs, 502 women, RR = 1.23 (95% CI = 0.89, 1.71), I = 30%, high certainty evidence) or live birth rate (4 RCTs, 1835 women, RR = 0.87 (95% CI = 0.75, 1.01), I = 0%, high certainty evidence). Outcomes with placebo acupuncture were not significantly different to usual care. Adverse events relating to acupuncture, such as discomfort and bruising, were mild to moderate. ..."
Coyle M., Stupans I. et al. (2021) Acupuncture versus placebo acupuncture for in vitro fertilisation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupunct Med. 2021;39(1):20-29.   🔗

Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Potential Mechanism from an Anti-Inflammatory Perspective.

"The low adverse effects of acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea (PD), known as one of the most commonly reported gynecological debilitating conditions affecting women's overall health, have been thus far confirmed. Moreover, it has been increasingly recognized that inflammation is involved in such menstrual cramps, and recent studies have further shown that the anti-inflammatory effects ..."
Yu W., Ma L. et al. (2021) Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Potential Mechanism from an Anti-Inflammatory Perspective. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021:1907009.  🔗

The Role of Acupuncture in Treating Perimenopausal Insomnia: An Overview and Quality Assessment of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

"...Results: Nine SRs/MAs were deemed eligible for the present overview. Considering the assessment of results from the AMSTAR-2 checklist, the methodological quality of one SR/MA was considered low, and the remaining eight were critically low. Major methodological deficiencies were concentrated on item 2 (the lack of protocol and/or registration information), item 7 (the lack of a list of excluded studies), and item 10 (the lack of reports on funding sources for individual studies included in the SRs/MAs). For the GRADE system, of the 25 outcomes, only three (12%) were rated as moderate-quality, while the remaining 22 were rated between low- and very low-quality. The PRISMA-2009 statement indicated three major reporting quality limitations in most SRs/MAs, namely: 1) only search terms without specific retrieval strategy; 2) incomplete descriptions for study characteristics, particularly the specific dosage and frequency of interventions in treatment/control groups; and 3) inadequate investigation and explanation of the source of high heterogeneity among original randomized control trials included. According to Veritas plots, quality rank scores of included SRs/MAs ranged from 3.3 to 8.3, with an average score of 6.4 ± 1.7. ..."
Zhao F., Zhang W. et al. (2021) The Role of Acupuncture in Treating Perimenopausal Insomnia: An Overview and Quality Assessment of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2021;17:3325-3343.  🔗

An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Infertile Women Undergoing Fertilization and Embryo Transfer.

"Currently, more and more subfertility couples are opting for combined acupuncture to improve the success rate of fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). However, the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in IVF-ET is still highly controversial. The purpose of this overview is to summarize evidence of essential outcomes of systematic reviews (SRs) of acupuncture in ..."
Wang X., Wang Y. et al. (2021) An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Infertile Women Undergoing Fertilization and Embryo Transfer. Front Public Health. 2021;9:651811.  🔗

Comparative Utility of Acupuncture and Western Medication in the Management of Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...Results: Fifteen studies involving 1410 women were analyzed. Meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture significantly reduced the global scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [MD = -2.38, 95% CI (-3.38, -1.37),  < 0.01] and Kupperman Index [MD = -5.95, 95% CI (-10.68, -1.21),  = 0.01], compared with hypnotics. Acupuncture combined with hypnotics was more effective than hypnotics alone in decreasing PSQI scores [MD = -3.13, 95% CI (-5.43, -0.83),  < 0.01]. Too few RCTs were available to investigate the clinical efficacy differences between acupuncture and HRT/psychotropic drugs other than hypnotics. ..."
Zhao F., Fu Q. et al. (2021) Comparative Utility of Acupuncture and Western Medication in the Management of Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021:5566742.  🔗

The Effect of Acupuncture on Glucose Metabolism and Lipid Profiles in Patients with PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

"Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture on glucose metabolism and lipid profiles in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods Databases, including the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were searched for the relevant literature, with the retrieval deadline being ..."
Zheng R., Qing P. et al. (2021) The Effect of Acupuncture on Glucose Metabolism and Lipid Profiles in Patients with PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021.  🔗

The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...Results: Seven documents meeting the criteria were finally included. The results showed that the intervention group contributes more in outcomes including clinical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.90, 95% CI (1.51, 2.40), < 0.05), biochemical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.59, 95% CI (1.27, 1.99), < 0.05), embryo implantation rate (RR = 1.89, 95% CI (1.47, 2.45), < 0.05), and endometrial thickness (MD = 1.11, 95% CI (0.59, 1.63), < 0.05) when compared with the control group, and the difference is statistically significant. In terms of the number of embryo transfers and the type of endometrium, the difference between the acupuncture group and the control group was not statistically significant. ..."
Li M., Liu Y. et al. (2021) The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021:6661235.  🔗

Acupuncture for recurrent urinary tract infection in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Five RCTs involving 341 participants were included. Methodological quality of studies and strength of the evidence were low to moderate. The chance of achieving a composite cure with acupuncture therapies was greater than that with antibiotics (three studies, 170 participants, RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.31-2.81, I  = 38%). The risk of UTI recurrence was lower with acupuncture than with no treatment (two studies, 135 participants, RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.26-0.58, I  = 0%) and sham acupuncture (one study, 53 participants, RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.22-0.92). ..."
Qin X., Coyle M. et al. (2020) Acupuncture for recurrent urinary tract infection in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG. 2020;127(12):1459-1468.   🔗

Investigation of the role of herbal medicine, acupressure, and acupuncture in the menopausal symptoms: An evidence-based systematic review study.

"...Results: In various studies, different herbs such as licorice, valerian, soy, sage, ginseng, etc., were used to improve menopausal symptoms. In addition, acupuncture and acupressure were used to reduce menopausal symptoms. ..."
Ebrahimi A., Tayebi N. et al. (2020) Investigation of the role of herbal medicine, acupressure, and acupuncture in the menopausal symptoms: An evidence-based systematic review study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020;9(6):2638-2649.   🔗

Acupuncture for in vitro fertilization in women with poor ovarian response: a systematic review.

"...Results: Three RCTs were included in this review. CPR and the number of retrieved oocytes were measured in two studies, while the values of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicle count (AFC) were only reported in one study. In two studies, CPR was higher in the intervention group than the control group [37.8 % vs 24.3 %]. We did not conduct a meta-analysis, as there was a high level of heterogeneity in interventions among the included trials. ..."
Jang S., Kim K. et al. (2020) Acupuncture for in vitro fertilization in women with poor ovarian response: a systematic review. Integr Med Res. 2020;9(2):100395.   🔗

Effectiveness of acupuncture in polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

"...RESULTS: Twenty two studies with 2315 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. A pooled analysis showed a recovery of the menstrual period (5 trials; 364 participants; SMD, -0.52; 95% CI [-0.89, -0.14]; I = 67%; P = .0007; low certainty) in the acupuncture group. Furthermore, there were significant decreases in the luteinizing hormone (LH) (13 trials; 917 participants; MD, -0.92; 95% CI [-1.43, -0.41]; I = 60%; P = .0004; very low certainty) and testosterone (13 trials; 923 participants; SMD, -0.46; 95% CI [-0.73, -0.20]; I = 75%; P = .0006; very low certainty) in the acupuncture group. No significant differences were observed in the rates of live birth, pregnancy, and ovulation, and no significant differences were observed in the LH/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio. ..."
Wu J., Chen D. et al. (2020) Effectiveness of acupuncture in polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(22):e20441.   🔗

The maintenance effect of acupuncture on breast cancer-related menopause symptoms: a systematic review.

"Acupuncture has been used for many breast cancer treatment-related problems, but how long the effect lasts is unknown. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate how long the effect of acupuncture on breast cancer-related hot flushes and menopause symptoms lasts. The research design followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement, without language ..."
Chien T., Liu C. et al. (2020) The maintenance effect of acupuncture on breast cancer-related menopause symptoms: a systematic review. Climacteric. 2020;23(2):130-139.   🔗

Acupuncture for menstrual migraine: a systematic review.

"...RESULTS: Thirteen studies with 826 subjects were included, 9 of which had data suitable for meta-analyses. Current evidence showed that acupuncture was not superior to sham acupuncture in reducing monthly migraine frequency and duration, average headache intensity, and analgesic use at completion of treatment or follow-up. Pooled data demonstrated a significant improvement in mean headache intensity in the acupuncture group compared with drugs. However, all studies were underpowered and associated with moderate to high risk of bias. No serious adverse event was related to acupuncture treatment. ..."
Yang M., Du T. et al. (2020) Acupuncture for menstrual migraine: a systematic review. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2020.  🔗

Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour.

"...RESULTS: We included 28 trials with data reporting on 3960 women. Thirteen trials reported on acupuncture and 15 trials reported on acupressure. No study was at a low risk of bias on all domains. Pain intensity was generally measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0 to 10 or 0 to 100 with low scores indicating less pain. Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture Acupuncture may make little or no difference to the intensity of pain felt by women when compared with sham acupuncture (mean difference (MD) -4.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) -12.94 to 4.09, 2 trials, 325 women, low-certainty evidence). Acupuncture may increase satisfaction with pain relief compared to sham acupuncture (risk ratio (RR) 2.38, 95% CI 1.78 to 3.19, 1 trial, 150 women, moderate-certainty evidence), and probably reduces the use of pharmacological analgesia (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.89, 2 trials, 261 women, moderate-certainty evidence). Acupuncture may have no effect on assisted vaginal birth (very low-certainty evidence), and probably little to no effect on caesarean section (low-certainty evidence). Acupuncture compared to usual care We are uncertain if acupuncture reduces pain intensity compared to usual care because the evidence was found to be very low certainty (standardised mean difference (SMD) -1.31, 95% CI -2.14 to -0.49, 4 trials, 495 women, I = 93%). Acupuncture may have little to no effect on satisfaction with pain relief (low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain if acupuncture reduces the use of pharmacological analgesia because the evidence was found to be very low certainty (average RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.85, 6 trials, 1059 women, I = 70%). Acupuncture probably has little to no effect on assisted vaginal birth (low-certainty evidence) or caesarean section (low-certainty evidence). Acupuncture compared to no treatment One trial compared acupuncture to no treatment. We are uncertain if acupuncture reduces pain intensity (MD -1.16, 95% CI -1.51 to -0.81, 163 women, very low-certainty evidence), assisted vaginal birth or caesarean section because the evidence was found to be very low certainty. Acupuncture compared to sterile water injection We are uncertain if acupuncture has any effect on use of pharmacological analgesia, assisted vaginal birth or caesarean section because the evidence was found to be very low certainty. Acupressure compared to a sham control We are uncertain if acupressure reduces pain intensity in labour (MD -1.93, 95% CI -3.31 to -0.55, 6 trials, 472 women) or assisted vaginal birth because the evidence was found to be very low certainty. Acupressure may have little to no effect on use of pharmacological analgesia (low-certainty evidence). Acupressure probably reduces the caesarean section rate (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.71, 4 trials, 313 women, moderate-certainty evidence). Acupressure compared to usual care We are uncertain if acupressure reduces pain intensity in labour (SMD -1.07, 95% CI -1.45 to -0.69, 8 trials, 620 women) or increases satisfaction with pain relief (MD 1.05, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.35, 1 trial, 105 women) because the evidence was found to be very low certainty. Acupressure may have little to no effect on caesarean section (low-certainty evidence). Acupressure compared to a combined control Acupressure probably slightly reduces the intensity of pain during labour compared with the combined control (measured on a scale of 0 to 10 with low scores indicating less pain) (SMD -0.42, 95% CI -0.65 to -0.18, 2 trials, 322 women, moderate-certainty evidence). We are uncertain if acupressure has any effect on the use of pharmacological analgesia (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.25, 1 trial, 212 women), satisfaction with childbirth, assisted vaginal birth or caesarean section because the certainty of the evidence was all very low. No studies were found that reported on sense of control in labour and only one reported on satisfaction with the childbirth experience. AUTHORS' ..."
Smith C., Collins C. et al. (2020) Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;2:CD009232.  🔗

Acupuncture in sham device controlled trials may not be as effective as acupuncture in the real world: a preliminary network meta-analysis of studies of acupuncture for hot flashes in menopausal women.

"...RESULTS: Eight studies were included in this review. From the network meta-analysis, we found that verum acupuncture in the shallow needling controlled trials was more effective than verum acupuncture in the sham device controlled trials (SMD -7.27, 95% CI-9.11 to -5.43). Significant heterogeneity and inconsistency were not observed among the included studies or the comparisons. ..."
Kim T., Lee M. et al. (2020) Acupuncture in sham device controlled trials may not be as effective as acupuncture in the real world: a preliminary network meta-analysis of studies of acupuncture for hot flashes in menopausal women. Acupunct Med. 2020;38(1):37-44.   🔗

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of oligoasthenozoospermia: A systematic review.

"Oligoasthenozoospermia is a common factor leading to male infertility. Acupuncture has been applied for treating male infertility for several thousand years in China, but clinical evidence of its efficacy and safety in treating oligoasthenozoospermia is yet to be established. This review aimed to systematically assess the evidence on the effect of acupuncture in males ..."
You F., Ruan L. et al. (2020) Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of oligoasthenozoospermia: A systematic review. Andrologia. 2020;52(1):e13415.   🔗

Acupuncture and clomiphene citrate for anovulatory infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Nine trials including 1441 women were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the rates of pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) 1.18, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.69), ovulation (OR 2.57, 95% CI 0.59 to 11.29) or pregnancy loss (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.63) when acupuncture was used as an adjuvant therapy alongside CC. Although acupuncture alone did not increase the ovulation rate (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.49), our review demonstrated superior effects in patients who received acupuncture as a separate treatment modality with respect to both the pregnancy rate (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.76 to 3.10) and the maximum follicular diameter (mean difference 0.50 mm, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.56 mm) when compared with CC alone. Statistical analysis also showed a reduction in the rate of pregnancy loss when acupuncture was used as a separate treatment compared with CC alone (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.45). ..."
Gao R., Guo B. et al. (2020) Acupuncture and clomiphene citrate for anovulatory infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupunct Med. 2020;38(1):25-36.   🔗

Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Primary Dysmenorrhea: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

"...Results: A total of 28 SRs and MAs, 281 original studies, reporting on 26,459 female patients were analyzed. The majority of the SRs were of moderate reporting quality and poor methodological quality. Moderate-quality evidence suggested that acupuncture and moxibustion were more effective compared to indomethacin or Fenbid in treating PD. Low-quality evidence suggested that, compared to NSAIDs, acupuncture and moxibustion could relieve pain with less adverse effects. ..."
Yang J., Xiong J. et al. (2020) Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Primary Dysmenorrhea: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020:8306165.  🔗

Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

"...Results: In total, 16 RCTs covering 1311 patients were enrolled. Overall, the results showed that acupuncture was more effective in the treatment of perimenopausal depression than antidepressants (OR = 2.68, 95% CI (1.84, 3.90), < 0.00001). Furthermore, HAMD scores in the manual acupuncture group and electroacupuncture group were lower than those of antidepressants (manual acupuncture vs. antidepressants (MD = -2.35, 95% CI (-2.93, -1.77), < 0.00001) and electroacupuncture vs. antidepressants (MD = -1.2, 95% CI (-1.92, -0.48), =0.001)). Data analysis revealed that the treatment effect of acupuncture was more stable than that of antidepressants (MD = -2.4, 95% CI (-3.37, -1.43), < 0.00001). Moreover, acupuncture was safer than antidepressants based on the incidence of adverse events (OR = 0.23, 95% CI (0.1, 0.52), =0.0004). But acupuncture has no effect on estrogen levels ( ≥ 0.05). ..."
Xiao X., Zhang J. et al. (2020) Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020:5865697.  🔗

Using Forbidden Points in Pregnancy: Adverse Outcomes and Quality of Evidence in Randomized Controlled Trials-A Systematic Narrative Review.

"Pregnancy is a complex physical and hormonal condition. Many women experience back and pelvic pain, reflux, and headaches during pregnancy. There has been a significant rise in the popularity of acupuncture for pain conditions in pregnancy, wherein nonpharmacologic options are important. Concerns have been raised by both traditional and medical acupuncturists about using "forbidden ..."
Levett K., Sutcliffe K. et al. (2019) Using Forbidden Points in Pregnancy: Adverse Outcomes and Quality of Evidence in Randomized Controlled Trials-A Systematic Narrative Review. Med Acupunct. 2019;31(6):346-360.   🔗

Clinical evidence of Chinese medicine therapies for depression in women during perimenopause and menopause.

"...RESULTS: A total of 18 RCTs were identified (6 CHM, 11 acupuncture related therapies, 1 combination of CHM and acupuncture). For Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) and Kuppermans Index of Menopause, tuina-massage, combined therapy of CHM plus acupuncture showed significant benefits at end of treatment compared to antidepressants. Either CHM and acupuncture reduced HRSD scores, indicating less severe depression, showing comparable effects to antidepressants. ..."
Di Y., Yang L. et al. (2019) Clinical evidence of Chinese medicine therapies for depression in women during perimenopause and menopause. Complement Ther Med. 2019;47:102071.  🔗

The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer: An interdisciplinary systematic review.

"The present systematic review is designed to summarize the evidence concerning the effect of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET). We searched MEDLINE, the Wanfang Database, the China Academic Journal Electronic Full-text Database in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Index to Chinese Periodical Literature. Randomized controlled trials ..."
Gu Y., Zhang X. et al. (2019) The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer: An interdisciplinary systematic review. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2019;48(8):677-684.   🔗

Traditional Chinese acupuncture and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: A total of 887 PPD patients from 12 randomised controlled trials were included in the quantitative meta-analysis, with 443 patients in the treatment group and 444 patients in the control group. Patients in the acupuncture group had significantly better performances assessed by the Hamilton Depression Scale than those in the control group, and the pooled MD was -1.27 (95% CI: -2.55 to 0.01; p = 0.05, I = 83%) in the random-effect model. In addition, significantly better performance in the effective rate was observed in the acupuncture group than in the control group, and the pooled RR was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.09 to 1.33; p < 0.0001, I = 46%). However, in subgroup analysis for the acupuncture therapy alone, only effective rate showed a significantly better performance. ..."
Tong P., Dong L. et al. (2019) Traditional Chinese acupuncture and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Chin Med Assoc. 2019;82(9):719-726.   🔗

Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome.

"...RESULTS: We included eight RCTs with 1546 women. Five RCTs were included in our previous review and three new RCTs were added in this update of the review. They compared true acupuncture versus sham acupuncture (three RCTs), true acupuncture versus relaxation (one RCT), true acupuncture versus clomiphene (one RCT), low-frequency electroacupuncture versus physical exercise or no intervention (one RCT) and true acupuncture versus Diane-35 (two RCTs). Studies that compared true acupuncture versus Diane-35 did not measure fertility outcomes as they were focused on symptom control.Seven of the studies were at high risk of bias in at least one domain.For true acupuncture versus sham acupuncture, we could not exclude clinically relevant differences in live birth (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.24; 1 RCT, 926 women; low-quality evidence); multiple pregnancy rate (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.33 to 2.45; 1 RCT, 926 women; low-quality evidence); ovulation rate (SMD 0.02, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.19, I = 0%; 2 RCTs, 1010 women; low-quality evidence); clinical pregnancy rate (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.29; I = 0%; 3 RCTs, 1117 women; low-quality evidence) and miscarriage rate (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.56; 1 RCT, 926 women; low-quality evidence).Number of intermenstrual days may have improved in participants receiving true acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture (MD -312.09 days, 95% CI -344.59 to -279.59; 1 RCT, 141 women; low-quality evidence).True acupuncture probably worsens adverse events compared to sham acupuncture (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31; I = 0%; 3 RCTs, 1230 women; moderate-quality evidence).No studies reported data on live birth rate and multiple pregnancy rate for the other comparisons: physical exercise or no intervention, relaxation and clomiphene. Studies including Diane-35 did not measure fertility outcomes.We were uncertain whether acupuncture improved ovulation rate (measured by ultrasound three months post treatment) compared to relaxation (MD 0.35, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.56; 1 RCT, 28 women; very low-quality evidence) or Diane-35 (RR 1.45, 95% CI 0.87 to 2.42; 1 RCT, 58 women; very low-quality evidence).Overall evidence ranged from very low quality to moderate quality. The main limitations were failure to report important clinical outcomes and very serious imprecision. AUTHORS' ..."
Lim C., Ng R. et al. (2019) Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;7:CD007689.  🔗

Acupuncture for infertile women without undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: The pregnancy rate was significantly improved with treatment (RR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.62 to 2.10, P < .00001), compared to that in the control group. Subgroup analysis showed that comparing with pure western medicine intervention, no matter intervention with acupuncture alone, with acupuncture plus western medicine, with acupuncture plus Chinese medicine, or acupuncture plus Chinese medicine and western medicine, all of these subgroups exhibited significant improvement. The subgroup according to different types of infertility showed a significant improvement in infertility caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal infertility, ovulatory disorder, and other factors. In addition, the ovulation rate and endometrial thickness were significantly increased. The level of LH was obviously decreased. Moreover, with acupuncture, less adverse effects occurred. The funnel plot revealed that publication bias might exist. All trials included had unclear risks in the aspects of allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel, blinding of outcome assessment, selective reporting, and other bias. Only 1 study was assessed as unclear risk in random sequence generation. In the incomplete outcome data, all studies were low risk, except 1. ..."
Yun L., Liqun W. et al. (2019) Acupuncture for infertile women without undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(29):e16463.   🔗

The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies with 6116 participants were included. The pooled clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) from all of acupuncture groups was significantly greater than that of control groups (RR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.38), whereas the pooled live birth rate (LBR) was not. Meta-regression subgroup analysis showed a more significant benefit of acupuncture for repeated IVF cycle proportion (number of women with a history of prior unsuccessful IVF attempt divided by number of women included in each trial) ≥ 50% group (CPR: RR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.28-2.00; LBR: RR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.05-1.92), and this covariate explained most of the heterogeneity (CPR and LBR: adjusted R = 100 and 87.90%). Similar results were found between CPR and number of acupuncture treatments (CPR: p = 0.002, adjusted R = 51.90%), but not LBR. ..."
Xie Z., Peng Z. et al. (2019) The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):131.   🔗

Acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: We found very low to moderate level of evidence that acupuncture may improve pregnancy rate (RR = 1.23 95%CI[1.13, 1.34] P < 0.00001) and embryo transfer rate (RR = 2.04 95%CI[1.13, 3.70] P = 0.02), increase trilinear endometrium (RR = 1.47 95%CI [1.27, 1.70] P < 0.00001), thicken endometrium (SMD = 0.41 95% CI [0.11, 0.72] P = 0.008), reduce resistive index (RI) (MD = -0.08 95% CI [- 0.15, - 0.02] P = 0.01), pulse index (PI) (SMD = -2.39 95% CI [- 3.85, - 0.93] P = 0.001) and peak systolic velocity/ end-diastolic blood velocity (S/D) (SMD = -0.60 95% CI [- 0.89, - 0.30] P < 0.0001), compared with medication, sham acupuncture or physiotherapy. Acupuncture was statistically significant as a treatment approach. ..."
Zhong Y., Zeng F. et al. (2019) Acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):61.   🔗

The effect of complementary medicines and therapies on maternal anxiety and depression in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: Twenty randomised controlled trials containing 1092 women were included in the review. We found some evidence of reduced antenatal depression from three modalities. Acupuncture reduced the number of women diagnosed with antenatal depression (RR 1.68, 95% CI 1.06-2.66, 1 trial). Massage reduced the severity of antenatal depression in one trial of 149 women (SMD -0.73, 95%CI -1.07--0.39). One small trial of bright light therapy found reduced antenatal depression (RR 4.80, 95% CI -8.39--1.21, 27 women). There was no evidence of a reduction in depression and anxiety from relaxation, yoga, mindfulness and fish oils. Overall the risk of bias was high or unclear for the majority of studies. LIMITATIONS: There are few high quality randomised controlled trials of complementary medicines and therapies examining the effect on anxiety and depression. ..."
Smith C., Shewamene Z. et al. (2019) The effect of complementary medicines and therapies on maternal anxiety and depression in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2019;245:428-439.  🔗

An update and systematic review on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.

"...RESULTS: This review included 17 papers, 10 of which on complementary medicine, three on drug therapies, and four on acupuncture and acupressure. The largest and smallest samples had 303 and 24 patients, respectively. Length of treatment ranged from one to six months and the measures most commonly used in the studies were the visual analogue scale and clinical efficacy. Reported complications included gastrointestinal events, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and liver and kidney disorders. ..."
Sharghi M., Mansurkhani S. et al. (2019) An update and systematic review on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. JBRA Assist Reprod. 2019;23(1):51-57.   🔗

The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupoint Catgut Embedding for the Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...Results: 12 RCTs with 876 participants were included in this review. Meta-analysis showed that ACET alone was not superior to medication in effectiveness rate (RR= 1.11; 95% CI (0.89, 1.40); =0.35) and E2 (SMD= 0.20; 95% CI (-0.17, 0.57); 0.28; =20%) while ACET combining medication was more effective on the effectiveness rate (RR= 1.32; 95% CI (1.20, 1.46); <0.000 01) and E2 (SMD= 1.24; 95% CI (0.63, 1.84); <0.0001). Additionally, ACET combining calcium could increase the bone mineral density (BMD) of the L2~4 vertebrae and femur-neck [WMD = 0.03; 95% CI (0.01, 0.05); =0.003; and WMD = 0.07; 95% CI (0.03, 0.10); = 0.0006], reduce TCM syndrome score [WMD = -1.85; 95% CI (-2.13, -1.57); <0.000 01], improve patient's quality of life [WMD = 6.90; 95% CI (3.90, 9.89); <0.000 01; and WMD = 12.34; 95% CI (5.09, 19.60); =0.0009], and relieve pain [WMD = -1.26; 95% CI (-1.66, -0.85); <0.000 01; and WMD = -2.59; 95% CI (-4.76, -0.43); = 0.02]. The TSA showed that the effectiveness of ACET for PMOP was demonstrated accurately. ..."
Huang F., Xie Y. et al. (2019) The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupoint Catgut Embedding for the Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019:2673763.  🔗

Effectiveness of Acupuncture Used for the Management of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...Results: Eight prospective trials reporting data on postpartum depression were included in our meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that acupuncture treatment could significantly reduce HAMD scores (SMD: -1.08; 95%CI: -2.11 to -0.05; P=0.040). However, with regard to EPDS, clinical response, and serum estradiol levels, pooled analysis suggested no beneficial effects of acupuncture for postpartum women in EPDS (RR: 1.23; 95%CI: 0.90 to 1.67; P=0.195); clinical response (RR: 1.00; 95%CI: 0.89 to 1.12; P=0.969); and the levels of serum estradiol (SMD: 1.96; 95%CI: -0.01 to 3.93; P=0.051). Limitations: First, there was relatively high heterogeneity among the studies, except for clinical response. In order to identify the sources of heterogeneity, we divided the studies into subgroups by way of controls. However, heterogeneity still existed, which suggested that it arose from participants rather than controls. Second, the sample size of the studies was small, causing the power of summary results to be low. This may result in over- or underestimating the interpretation of the results. Third, our analysis used pooled data, which restricted us from performing a more detailed analysis. ..."
Li W., Yin P. et al. (2019) Effectiveness of Acupuncture Used for the Management of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biomed Res Int. 2019:6597503.  🔗

Acupuncture for the relief of hot flashes in breast cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies.

"...Results: A total of 18 studies were eligible ultimately. With respect to HFs frequency, the MA during treatment showed a significant difference (MD = -1.78, 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs]: -3.42--0.14), but no statistical differences were observed when posttreatment or follow-up period. While electroacupuncture versus applied relaxation, they both helped to promote HFs markedly but did not reveal statistically significance between them. Referring to Kupperman's index, all the treatment brought out great assistance when compared with baseline conditions, and there was significant difference between real acupuncture sham acupuncture (posttreatment: MD = -4.40, 95% CI: -6.77--2.03; follow-up: MD = -4.30, 95% CI: -6.52--2.08). In terms of OS, 7 prospective single arm studies focused on exploring the efficacy of traditional acupuncture, and all revealed moderate or great benefit for BC patients suffering from HFs. ..."
Wang X., Zhang D. et al. (2018) Acupuncture for the relief of hot flashes in breast cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies. J Cancer Res Ther. 2018;14(Supplement):S600-S608.   🔗

Acupuncture and acupressure for premenstrual syndrome.

"...RESULTS: Five trials (277 women) were included in this review. No trials compared acupuncture or acupressure versus other active treatments. The number of treatment sessions ranged from seven to 28. The quality of the evidence ranged from low to very low quality, the main limitations being imprecision due to small sample sizes and risk of bias related to detection bias and selective reporting.Acupuncture versus sham acupunctureAcupuncture may provide a greater reduction in mood-related PMS symptoms (mean difference (MD) -9.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -10.71 to -7.35, one randomised controlled trial (RCT), n = 67, low-quality evidence) and in physical PMS symptoms (MD -9.11, 95% CI -10.82 to -7.40, one RCT, n = 67, low-quality evidence) than sham acupuncture, as measured by the Daily Record of Severity of Problems scale (DRSP). The evidence suggests that if women have a mood score of 51.91 points with sham acupuncture, their score with acupuncture would be between 10.71 and 7.35 points lower and if women have a physical score of 46.11 points, their score with acupuncture would be between 10.82 and 7.4 points lower.There was insufficient evidence to determine whether there was any difference between the groups in the rate of adverse events (risk ratio (RR) 1.74, 95% CI 0.39 to 7.76, three RCTs, n = 167, I = 0%, very low-quality evidence).Specific PMS symptoms were not reportedThere may be little or no difference between the groups in response rates. Use of a fixed-effect model suggested a higher response rate in the acupuncture group than in the sham group (RR 2.59, 95% CI 1.71 to 3.92; participants = 100; studies = 2; I = 82%), but owing to the high heterogeneity we tested the effect of using a random-effects model, which provided no clear evidence of benefit for acupuncture (RR 4.22, 95% CI 0.45 to 39.88, two RCTs, n = 100, I = 82%, very low-quality evidence).Acupuncture may improve quality of life (measured by the WHOQOL-BREF) compared to sham (MD 2.85, 95% CI 1.47 to 4.23, one RCT, n = 67, low-quality evidence).Acupuncture versus no treatmentDue to the very low quality of the evidence, we are uncertain whether acupuncture reduces PMS symptoms compared to a no treatment control (MD -13.60, 95% CI -15.70 to -11.50, one RCT, n = 14).No adverse events were reported in either group.No data were available on specific PMS symptoms, response rate or quality of life outcomes.Acupressure versus sham acupressureWe found low-quality evidence that acupressure may reduce the number of women with moderate to severe PMS symptoms at the end of the trial compared to sham acupressure (RR 0.64 95% CI 0.52 to 0.79, one RCT, n = 90, low-quality evidence). The evidence suggests that if 97 women out of 100 in the sham acupressure group had moderate to severe PMS symptoms, the number of women in the acupressure group with moderate to severe symptoms would be 50 to 76 women.Acupressure may improve both physical (MD 24.3, 95% CI 17.18 to 31.42, one RCT, n = 90, low-quality evidence) and mental (MD 17.17, 95% CI 13.08 to 21.26, one RCT, n = 90, low-quality evidence) quality of life.No data were available on adverse events, specific symptoms or response rates. AUTHORS' ..."
Armour M., Ee C. et al. (2018) Acupuncture and acupressure for premenstrual syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;8:CD005290.  🔗

Findings and methodological quality of systematic reviews focusing on acupuncture for pregnancy-related acute conditions.

"...RESULTS: The initial search retrieved 11 492 records, of which 16 SRs met our inclusion criteria. The average AMSTAR score was 7.3, the lowest score being 3 and the highest 11. The lowest PRISMA score was 12, the highest 25, and the average PRISMA score was 19.9. The results support the proposal that acupuncture might be considered an option for alleviating pain during labour, for correcting breech presentation, and for managing pelvic and back pain during pregnancy. There is insufficient evidence to recommend acupuncture for inducing labour, managing nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, improving sleep quality, controlling nausea and vomiting associated with Caesarean delivery, and managing urinary infection. ..."
Bergamo T., Latorraca C. et al. (2018) Findings and methodological quality of systematic reviews focusing on acupuncture for pregnancy-related acute conditions. Acupunct Med. 2018;36(3):146-152.   🔗

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

"...RESULTS: This review included 60 RCTs; the meta-analysis included 49 RCTs. Most studies showed a low or unclear risk of bias. We found that compared to no treatment, manual acupuncture (MA) (SMD = -1.59, 95% CI [-2.12, -1.06]) and electro-acupuncture (EA) was more effective at reducing menstrual pain, and compared to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), MA (SMD = -0.63, 95% CI [-0.88, -0.37]) and warm acupuncture (WA) (SMD = -1.12, 95% CI [-1.81, -0.43]) were more effective at reducing menstrual pain. Some studies showed that the efficacy of acupuncture was maintained after a short-term follow-up. ..."
Woo H., Ji H. et al. (2018) The efficacy and safety of acupuncture in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018;97(23):e11007.   🔗

Management of Menopause Symptoms with Acupuncture: An Umbrella Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

"...RESULTS: Three SRs and four new RCTs were identified that met eligibility criteria. Meta-analyses of this study revealed statistically significant standardized mean differences (SMDs) associated with acupuncture compared with no acupuncture at reducing VMS frequency (SMD -0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.06 to -0.26, I = 61.7%, 5 trials) and VMS severity (SMD -0.49, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.13, I = 18.1%, 4 trials) and improving HRQOL outcomes (SMD -0.93, 95% CI -1.20 to -0.67, I = 0.0%, 3 trials). SMDs were smaller or not statistically significant when acupuncture was compared with sham acupuncture. ..."
Befus D., Coeytaux R. et al. (2018) Management of Menopause Symptoms with Acupuncture: An Umbrella Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2018;24(4):314-323.   🔗

Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

"...Results: Four RCTs with 474 participants were included. The methodological quality of included studies was generally low. The results of meta-analysis of two studies showed that AT combined with conventional treatment (CT) was associated with significantly reduced CPP, based on the total effectiveness rate (n=277, mean difference = 1.29, confidence interval = 1.13 to 1.47, P=0.0001, I = 0%). ..."
Sung S., Sung A. et al. (2018) Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018:9415897.  🔗

Interventions to treat mental disorders during pregnancy: A systematic review and multiple treatment meta-analysis.

"BACKGROUND: For women suffering from an antepartum mental disorder (AMD), there is lack of evidence-based treatment algorithms due to the complicated risk-benefit analysis for both mother and unborn child. We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to treat AMD and performed a meta-analysis of the estimated treatment effect on ..."
van Ravesteyn L., Lambregtse-van den Berg M. et al. (2017) Interventions to treat mental disorders during pregnancy: A systematic review and multiple treatment meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0173397.   🔗