Original Article · Originalarbeit

Acupuncture for Perimenopausal Symptoms in Women who Underwent Oophorectomy – a Comparative Study
F. Qu^a; J. Zhou^a; R. Nan^b

^aHeilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China ^bDenver College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Denver, CO, USA

Forsch Komplementmed 2007;14:25-32
(DOI: 10.1159/000098799)

  Summary

Objective: To explore the effects of acupuncture on perimenopausal symptoms in women who underwent oophorectomy. Methods: 67 women who had undergone oophorectomy were divided into an acupuncture group (n = 36) and a comparison group (n = 31) according to their wishes. The first group was treated by acupuncture and the latter group by Livial®. Clinical symptoms were assessed by the modified Kupperman index. The levels of venous blood serum ß-endorphin (ß-EP), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2) and the maturation index (MI) of vaginal epithelial cells were assessed. Results: There were no significant group differences for the MI of vaginal exfoliative cells nor for the levels of FSH, LH and E2 after treatment (p > 0.05), but Kupperman scoring and the levels of ß-EP differed significantly between the acupuncture and the Livial group (p < 0.05). No side-effects were reported in either group. Conclusion: Acupuncture results in a significant improvement in perimenopausal symptoms in women who have had an oophorectomy. Acupuncture performs as well or better than Livial. Yet, this result may have been influenced by a potential bias and the small sample size.

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