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Acupuncture for dysmenorrhea meta-analysis

In this study, the authors performed a systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on primary dysmenorrhea (1). This study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of women with primary dysmenorrhea; these RCTs compared acupuncture to no treatment, placebo, or medications, and measured menstrual pain intensity and its associated symptoms. The review included 60 RCTs; the meta-analysis included 49 RCTs. Most studies showed a low or unclear risk of bias. They found that compared to no treatment, manual acupuncture and electro-acupuncture was more effective at reducing menstrual pain, and compared to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, manual acupuncture, and warm acupuncture were more effective at reducing menstrual pain. Some studies showed that the efficacy of acupuncture was maintained after a short-term follow-up.