Acupuncture is not included in standard treatment for endometriosis. However, if standard treatments do not improve your symptoms, acupuncture may be helpful.
Currently, surgery is the only reliable way to diagnose endometriosis, and treatment options are limited. Many people with this disease live with chronic pain and symptoms that affect their daily lives.
For this reason, some people turn to alternative treatments such as acupuncture.
Although a small number of clinical trials suggest that acupuncture may be effective, placebo-controlled trials are rare, and the data supporting treatments for endometriosis are inconclusive.
To learn more about acupuncture for endometriosis, read on.
Acupuncture may help some endometriosis patients, but evidence is limited. Some small studies suggest it may improve symptoms of endometriosis.
One of the only randomized, placebo-controlled trials published in 2023 by scientists found a link between acupuncture and improved endometriosis.
Researchers compared the results of the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. Doctors stopped acupuncture after 12 weeks. Endometriosis symptoms in the acupuncture group improved over 12 weeks compared to the control group. However, at his 24th week, 12 weeks after discontinuing acupuncture, there was no significant difference between the groups. This study suggests that acupuncture may have a positive effect on people with endometriosis symptoms, but that the effects diminish when acupuncture is discontinued.
A 2023 systematic review examined previous research on acupuncture, moxibustion, and other alternative therapies in Oriental medicine. The study looked at 15 trials involving 1,018 people and found low-to-moderate quality evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for endometriosis. Overall, this study concluded that acupuncture may serve as an alternative treatment option for endometriosis patients. However, further research is needed.
Another systematic review in 2021 included seven randomized controlled trials.
The researchers measured success by pain levels and levels of serum antigens associated with endometriosis one year into the study. By all measures, the acupuncture group had better results than the control group.
One of the challenges in studying endometriosis acupuncture points is that researchers have looked at a variety of acupuncture points. Often, a study does not replicate key points from previous studies, making it difficult to assess overall effectiveness.
Acupuncture points commonly used by researchers include:
- CV1
- CV3
- CV6
- BL18
- BL20
- BL23
- ST35
One common protocol, the Cridenda Magarelli Acupuncture Protocol (CMAP), aims to increase the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Because people with endometriosis
A 2019 study of 112 people undergoing IVF compared patients who underwent IVF using a common protocol to those who underwent IVF in combination with CMAP. The pregnancy rate was 58.8%, higher than the pregnancy rate of 46.6% in the control group.
This suggests that this protocol has the potential to improve IVF rates.
Several studies have shown that acupuncture can improve endometriosis symptoms. It may also improve pregnancy rates for endometriosis patients who want to become pregnant.
However, acupuncture has not become part of standard treatment.this
Acupuncture may complement these treatments, but there is insufficient evidence that it can replace acupuncture. Most studies on endometriosis treatments are small and lack high-quality placebo controls.
Similar to acupuncture, there is insufficient support for other alternative and complementary treatments for endometriosis. Anecdotally, some people experience benefits with alternative treatments, but these methods are not intended to replace standard treatment.
Some alternative options are:
- stress management techniques
- special meal
- Identify and minimize triggers such as stress
- massage therapy
Learn more about home remedies for endometriosis.
If you are considering acupuncture for endometriosis, ask your doctor or certified acupuncturist:
- Are there other treatments I should try?
- Is acupuncture safe to use in conjunction with my current treatment plan?
- How do I know that my treatment is working?
- What are the risks of acupuncture and how can I reduce those risks?
You can find a certified acupuncturist through the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Acupuncture for endometriosis is a promising but unproven treatment.
It is likely to be most effective when chosen in conjunction with standard treatment. This is because there is not enough evidence to support the use of acupuncture as an alternative to common treatments.
Although acupuncture can be a useful component of treatment, research has not yet thoroughly tested its use or proven its effectiveness.
