Acupuncture for women’s health

Hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia are the three most common vasomotor-related symptoms experienced by 80% of women. Although hormone therapy is effective for reducing VMSs, its use is restricted in some women due to the side effects. Many women will seek nonpharmacologic treatment options such as acupuncture.

Scientific evidence supports the use of acupuncture to relieve these menopausal symptoms and increases quality of life.

There can be many disorders related to the menstrual cycle that can benefit from acupuncture treatment.

Dysmenorrhoea, menstrual pain, is the most common form of period pain and affects up to three-quarters of women. It is characterized by cramping pain in the lower abdomen that may spread to the lower back pain and may include other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue and anxiety. Use of medication with side effects is high.

Acupuncture offers a safe and painless approach to effectively manage symptoms of period pain. It improves the uterine arterial blood flow and relieves the pain. 
Acupuncture can be used as an effective and safe treatment for females (including adolescents) with irregular cycle.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is present in 5 to 15% of women. It has become a major healthcare issue and is the most frequent cause of infertility. It’s a clinical syndrome characterized by irregular menstrual cycle or amenorrhea, acne and hirsutism (excessive hair growth) and is often associated with overweight and obesity. Most patients have multiple cysts in the ovaries. PCOS can have substantial implications on a woman's psychological wellbeing across the entire lifespan. Currently the main forms of treatment for women with PCOS are pharmacological‐based therapies but they are associated with different adverse effects.

Scientific findings support acupuncture as a possible non pharmaceutical treatment for PCOS. Acupuncture may have a role in ovulation induction through hormonal regulation.

Endometriosis is a multifactorial, inflammatory, gynaecological condition characterized by the presence of endometrium, or mucous membrane that normally lines only the uterine cavity, outside the uterus. It can affect women as early as their first menstruation (menarche). The main symptoms are very intense pain during the menstrual and premenstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) and at the time of ovulation, along with chronic pelvic pain, pain in sexual intercourse, and chronic physical fatigue. Current pain therapies often involve various pharmacological and surgical treatments.

Acupuncture is an effective integrative therapy for endometriosis. Acupuncture treatments increase blood flow, alleviate pain through increasing the body’s own pain-relieving molecules (endorphins), regulate the hormonal levels and increase the immune response. This results in less pain, better hormonal balance and less inflammation.

PMS occurs in relation to the menstrual cycle hormonal imbalances. Symptoms usually begin five to 11 days before menstruation. PMS symptoms are often mild, but in some women they can be severe.

Acupuncture regulates the hormonal levels and reduces inflammation and the overall severity of PMS symptoms.

Women may suffer from various conditions during pregnancy. Concerns over drug use trigger the use of other non-pharmacological alternative treatments.

Acupuncture treatments can bring relief to: 

• nausea and/or vomiting
• fatigue
• burning and minor pains in the stomach
• constipation
• different aches and pains
• breech babies and labor difficulties

Acupuncture also helps mothers recover faster after childbirth. It also helps prevent post-natal depression.

In women organic disorders (e.g., ovulatory disorders, tubal disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis) and lifestyle factors are highly associated with female infertility.

Acupuncture, as a nonpharmacologic therapy, has been shown to improve the menstrual cycle and the ovulation through regulating the nervous and endocrine system and the blood flow to the uterus and ovaries.

Acupuncture also helps to create a favorable environment during procedures such as IVF or ICSI. Current evidence suggests that acupuncture given during embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy.

Read more about acupuncture as a treatment to improve fertility.