Electroacupuncture is Beneficial for Primary Dysmenorrhea: The Evidence from Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Electroacupuncture (EA) is considered to be a promising alternative therapy to relieve the menstrual pain for primary dysmenorrhea (PD), but the conclusion is controversial. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis specifically to evaluate the clinical efficacy from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of EA in patients with PD. PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, CENTRAL, CNKI, and Wanfang were searched to identify RCTs that evaluated the effectiveness of EA for PD. The outcome measurements included visual analogue scale (VAS), verbal rating scale (VRS), COX retrospective symptom scale (RSS), and the curative rate. Nine RCTs with high risk of bias were included for meta-analysis. The combined VAS 30 minutes after the completion of intervention favoured EA at SP6 when compared with EA at GB39, nonacupoints, and waiting-list groups. EA was superior to pharmacological treatment when the treatment duration lasted for three menstrual cycles, evidenced by significantly higher curative rate. No statistically significant differences between EA at SP6 and control groups were found regarding the VRS, RSS-COX1, and RSS-COX2. The findings of our study suggested that EA can provide considerable immediate analgesia effect for PD. Additional studies with rigorous design and larger sample sizes are needed.