Acupuncture for menstrual pain

Dysmenorrhea is a medical term for period pain is a condition that most women endure during their reproductive years. It is classified into primary and secondary. When the doctors can diagnose the condition causing the period pain, they call it secondary dysmenorrhea. When there is no clear cause, the period pain is called primary dysmenorrhea. Currently Western Medicine treatments available are symptom management with pain medication.

In China menstrual pain has been treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbs for millennia. And acupuncture goes beyond reducing pain and discomfort. It addresses the core of the problem: pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines are naturally occurring substances in the body and they are necessary to keep you healthy. But during the period they are so abundant they can sensitize your nervous system leading to aches and pains.

Many clinical trials had been conducted to show efficacy of acupuncture on menstrual pain. Now researchers are doing the reviews of clinical trials to build a stronger evidence. 2018 systematic review analysed as many as 60 studies on acupuncture for  menstrual pain. And the results were amazing. Not only acupuncture was significantly more effective at reducing period pain than pain medication, the pain relief lasted over the few months follow-up.

Despite limitations such as study quality and methodological restrictions, the results of this review suggest that acupuncture may be an effective and safe treatment option for women with primary dysmenorrhea. So why suffer? Menstrual pain may be normalised, but it is unnecessary and optional. Seek out acupuncture, and experience the transformation it can bring to your life.