When pain menstrual cramping occurs, it is usually cramping in the uterus. It causes restriction in activity and often causes absences from school and work among young women. The medical term for painful menstrual cramps is dysmenorrhea. Usually the drugs used to treat it are not effective for all women and can often have side effects that limit their use. A recent study was done in San Francisco looking at an injection of vitamin K1 as an acupoint treatment ⁽¹⁾. This means that women who had painful menstrual cramping were randomized into 2 groups. The women were 18 to 25 years old. One group received a vitamin K1 injection into the acupuncture point Spleen-6 in both legs; the point is located just above the inner ankle. The other group received a saline injection (just salt and water, as a fake treatment). They alternated so that each group received the other treatment after 2 weeks. The results of the study showed that using a numeric rating scale from 0-10, the women had an average 2.5-point decrease in pain after the vitamin K1 injection, compared to only a 1.8-point decrease in pain after the saline injection. The intensity and duration of menstrual symptoms were measured on a symptom scale and also decreased following the injections. The majority of the women reported the treatment was tolerable and would come every month if the treatment were available.