Dysmenorrhea, commonly known as menstrual pains or cramps, is caused by uterine contractions. Dysmenorrhea constitutes one of the most frequent disorders in women of a fertile age. This condition is a special entity of chronic pelvic pain that manifests itself with intense pain in the lower abdomen, before during or after a woman’s period. Acupuncture has been found to be very efficient in the management of period pains.
Primary dysmenorrhea refers to recurrent pain, while secondary dysmenorrhea results from reproductive system disorders. This pelvic pain, lasts from a few hours to days.
It can also be accompanied by:
- lower back pain,
- vomiting,
- nausea,
- diarrhea,
- headache and
- exhaustion.
Acupuncture for the management of period pains
A number of scientific studies suggest that in many cases acupuncture relieves dysmenorroia more successfully than drugs. Furthermore, many women have reported excellent results from the very first session of acupuncture.
Acupuncture treatment caters for each individual’s needs, thus, will vary according to the nature and location of the pain as well as the cause that has created the problem. As well as alleviating the menstrual pain, the patient will also notice an improvement in her psychological mood and an increase in energy during her acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture treatments need to take place at specific times of the menstrual cycle and approximately three cycles are required. Depending on the nature of the problem an improvement in symptoms can be observed even after the first month of treatments.
References
• Smith CA, Armour M, Zhu X, Li X, Lu ZY, Song J. Acupuncture for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Apr.
• Kang HS, Jeong D, Kim DI, Lee MS. The use of acupuncture for managing gynaecologic conditions: An overview of systematic reviews. Maturitas. 2011 Apr; 68(4):346-54. Epub 2011 Mar 3.
• Armour M, Dahlen HG, Smith CA. More Than Needles: The Importance of Explanations and Self-Care Advice in Treating Primary Dysmenorrhea with Acupuncture. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016.