Acupuncture for Pain of Endometriosis
Condition: Endometriosis
MeSH terms: Endometriosis
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This proposed trial is a multicenter,randomized and controlled clinical trial. The aim of
      this trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating pain of
      Endometriosis.The trial period will consist of three menstrual cycles of treatment, and three
      menstrual cycles in the follow-up period.We put forward the following hypothesis: the effect
      of acupuncture group is better than the control group on relieving pain.
    

Detailed description: 
      Endometriosis is a kind of chronic gynaecology disease that endometrial tissue appear outside
      the uterine cavity , the main symptoms include dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic
      pain, and infertility, etc. .The secondary progressive and aggravating dysmenorrhea is
      thought to be the most typical symptom of endometriosis.The epidemiology data shows that
      about 87.7% endometriosis patients accompany with dysmenorrhea, affecting majority of women's
      physical and mental health and quality of life seriously .The treatment for dysmenorrhea is
      still the key and pressing problem of endometriosis.Endometriotic lesions can be excised or
      ablated surgically, but the risk of recurrence is high. Drug therapy mainly involves the use
      of oral contraceptives, progesterone and androgen derivatives, gonadotropin-releasing hormone
      (GnRH) agonists and aromatase inhibitors, etc.,However, in some women the side effects may
      not be well tolerated or the pain relief provided may be inadequate. Therefore, a large
      number of patients with endometriosis are turning to complementary and alternative medicine
      such as acupuncture.Acupuncture, as an important component of traditional Chinese medicine is
      widely used in Asian countries,and it can treat different diseases, including endometriosis
      dysmenorrhea.The analgesia principle of acupuncture is based on the theory of holistic view
      of zang-fu organs and meridians.In traditional Chinese medicine, dysmenorrhea is
      etiologically caused by the stagnated blood or Qi circulation in the uterus. The pathological
      factors are mostly dampness, blood stasis,and Qi obstructions. Acupuncture stimulation, which
      involves thrusting or twisting needles,results in various biochemical reactions that can have
      effects throughout the body.When the running of blood and Qi is unobstructed, pain can be
      relieved.However, only some small trials considered to be lacking in quality or size to guide
      practice.So it is urgently necessary to design multicenter ,randomized controlled trial to
      prove it .
    

Intervention name(s): acupuncture
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): They will be treated seven days before expected menstrual onset with once a day and three times a week for therapy. During the menstrual period,they will be treated everyday when they are having pain.Every treatment lasts 30 minutes. The trial period will consist of three menstrual cycles of treatment and three menstrual cycles in the follow-up period.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The participants assigned to the treatment groups will receive acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zhaohai (KI 6) ,Taichong (LR 3) ,Qichong (ST 30) and Guanyuan (CV4), while the control group will receive acupuncture at non-acupoint.
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Endometriosis; acupuncture; pain; dysmenorrhea