The Clinical Study Of Acupuncture Versus Electro-acupuncture For Perimenopausal Syndrome

Objective: Perimenopausal syndrome(PMS)is the common disease on perimenopausal women in the transitional period and seriously affect women’s physical and mental health.A number of researches demonstrated that manual acupuncture(MA)or electro-acupuncture(EA)treated PMS with significant curative effect and less adverse reactions.This study aimed to investigate the effects of manual acupuncture versus electro-acupuncture for PMS among women during menopausal transition or postmenopause,with a specific focus on the safety of acupuncture.Methods: All patients of the study were recruited from Wuhan Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Hospital.Fifty women were randomly divided into two groups.Acupuncture points of Guanyuan(RN4),Zigong(EX-CA1),Tianshu(ST25),and Sanyinjiao(SP6)on double sides were used.The MA group received ordinary acupuncture without electric stimulator.The EA group was administered with electric stimulation on all acupuncture points,with a dilatational wave,10 Hz /50 Hz,0.5 to 1.0 m A.Treatments were scheduled three times weekly for 8 consecutive weeks.Menopause rating scale(MRS),menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire(MENQOL),self-rating anxiety scale(SAS)and self-rating depression scale(SDS)were evaluated at the baseline,4th and 8th week.Follicle stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH)and estrogen(E2)were observed in the two groups before and after treatment,as well as adverse reactions during the study.Results: 1.After 4-week and 8-week treatment,the scores of MRS,MENQOL,SAS and SDS were declined in the two groups(P<0.05).Compared with 4-week treatment,the scores of MRS,MENQOL,SAS and SDS were further declined after 8-week treatment(P<0.05).There was no significant differences between the two groups(P>0.05).2.After treatment,total effective rates of MA and EA were 56.52% and 60.87%,respectively.There was no significant differences between the two groups(P>0.05).MA was as effective as EA.3.After treatment,FSH and LH were declined,and E2 was increased in the two groups(P>0.05),without significant differences between the two groups(P>0.05).4.No serious adverse events were observed during the treatment.Conclusions 1.MA or EA is an effective and safe method in the treatment of PMS.2.MA or EA could relieve menopausal depression and anxiety symptoms and improve the quality of life.As the extension of treatment cycle,the symptoms of menopause were further improved.MA was as effective as EA.3.MA or EA could not change sex hormone levels.More large and well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed.