Review: Acupuncture and Acupressure Effective for Primary Dysmenorrhea

I'm not familiar with the methodology of these Cochrane analyses, but I do know that they often reveal that there haven't been enough studies, or that acupuncture isn't effective, etc... So the fact that this one states that there is some good evidence makes me think that there's some good evidence for acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea.

Acupuncture and acupressure may be an effective treatment to manage primary dysmenorrhea
Despite the limited number of studies, a recent Cochrane meta-analysis reported acupuncture and acupressure may be an effective treatment to manage primary dysmenorrhea. Ten trials (n=944) were included in this meta-analysis; of which six (n=673) were acupuncture trials and four (n=271) were acupressure trials. Of the acupuncture trials, acupuncture significantly improved pain when compared to a placebo control (OR=9.5, 95% CI 21.17 – 51.8), as well as NSAIDs (SMD -0.70, 95% CI CI -1.08 to -0.32) and Chinese herbs (SMD -1.34, 95% CI -1.74 to -0.95). [read more] Acupressure also provided pain relief when compared to a placebo (SMD -0.99, 95% CI -1.48 - -0.49). Acupuncture also strongly reduced menstrual symptoms when compared with medication in one trial (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.53 – 6.86) and when compared to Chinese herbs in another trial (OR 7.0, 95% CI 2.22 – 22.06). Acupressure also reduced menstrual symptoms when compared with a placebo control (SMD -0.58, 95% CI, -1.06 to -0.10).

Smith CA, Zhu X, He L, Song J. Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007854. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007854.pub2

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