title: Immediate effect of acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Xuanzhong (GB39) on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea. Moxibustion for pain relief in patients with primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial Undue reliance on I2 in assessing heterogeneity may mislead Effect of Acupuncture and Clomiphene in Chinese Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial A clinical trial of acupuncture about time-varying treatment and points selection in primary dysmenorrhea. A randomized controlled trial of single point acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea. Efficacy of Acupuncture versus Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill in Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial Effect of acupuncture on Deqi traits and pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea: analysis of data from a larger randomized controlled trial [Randomized controlled study on the analgesic effect of superficial needling plus electrostimulation of sanyinjiao (SP6) for primary dysmenorrhea]. A comparative study on the immediate effects of electroacupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6), Xuanzhong (GB39) and a non-meridian point, on menstrual pain and uterine arterial blood flow, in primary dysmenorrhea patients. Immediate analgesia effect of single point acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial. [Cumulative analgesic effects of EA stimulation of sanyinjiao (SP 6) in primary dysmenorrhea patients: a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial]. [Effects of instant electroacupuncture at the different acupoints on IP3 in the uterus tissue of dysmenorrhea model rats]. Effects of Acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) on Prostaglandin Levels in Primary Dysmenorrhea Patients
abstract: OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare immediate effect of acupuncture at SP6 on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea with that of GB39 . DESIGN This was a prospect i ve , r and omized clinical trial . SETTING Sixty-six ( 66 ) patients with primary dysmenorrhea from the Affiliated Hospital of Shangdong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited . INTERVENTIONS The SP6 group ( n = 32 ) was treated with manual acupuncture at bilateral SP6 for 5 minutes after obtaining needling sensation ( de qi ) during the period of menstrual pain , whereas the control group ( n = 34 ) was needled at GB39 of both sides for 5 minutes when they suffered menstrual pain . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Differences in pulsatility index ( PI ) , resistance index ( RI ) , and ratio of systolic peak and diastolic peak ( A/B ) in uterine arteries were the main outcome measures . RESULTS Highly significant reductions were observed in the SP6 treatment group 5 minutes after treatment in menstrual pain scores ( 8.17 ± 1.90 versus 11.20 ± 2.66 ; p < 0.001 ) , values of PI ( 1.75 ± 0.48 versus 2.32 ± 0.70 ; p < 0.001 ) , RI ( 0.72 ± 0.11 versus 0.78 ± 0.07 ; p < 0.001 ) , and A/B ( 4.33 ± 1.37 versus 5.23 ± 1.67 ; p < 0.001 ) . Compared with the GB39 control group , patients in the SP6 treatment group showed significant reductions in 5 minutes after treatment in the changes of menstrual pain scores ( 3.03 ± 2.36 versus 0.00 ± 0.29 ; p < 0.001 ) , values of PI ( 0.57 ± 0.42 versus -0.10 ± 0.58 ; p < 0.001 ) , RI ( 0.06 ± 0.08 versus -0.03 ± 0.15 ; p < 0.01 ) , and A/B ( 0.90 ± 0.87 versus 0.23 ± 1.02 ; p < 0.01 ) . There were no significant changes in menstrual pain scores , values of PI , RI , or A/B before and after treatment in the GB39 control group ( p > 0.05 ) . No adverse events from treatment were reported . CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that needling at SP6 can immediately improve uterine arterial blood flow of patients with primary dysmenorrhea , while GB39 does not have these effects Background Though moxibustion is frequently used to treat primary dysmenorrhea in China , relevant evidence supporting its effectiveness is still scanty . Methods This study was a pragmatic r and omized , conventional drug controlled , open-labeled clinical trial . After initial screen , 152 eligible participants were averagely r and omized to receive two different treatment strategies : Moxibustion and conventional drugs . Participants and practitioners were not blinded in this study . The duration of each treatment was 3 months . The primary outcome was pain relief measured by the Visual Analogue Scale . The menstrual pain severity was recorded in a menstrual pain diary . Results 152 eligible patients were included but only 133 of them eventually completed the whole treatment course . The results showed that the menstrual pain intensity in experimental group and control group was reduced from 6.38±1.28 and 6.41±1.29 , respectively , at baseline , to 2.54±1.41 and 2.47±1.29 after treatment . The pain reduction was not significantly different between these two groups ( P = 0.76 ) , however ; the pain intensity was significantly reduced relative to baseline for each group ( P<0.01 ) . Three months after treatment , the effectiveness of moxibustion sustained and started to be superior to the drug ’s effect ( -0.87 , 95%CI -1.32 to -0.42 , P<0.01 ) . Secondary outcome analyses showed that moxibustion  was as effective as drugs in alleviating menstrual pain-related symptoms . The serum levels of pain mediators , such as PGF2α , OT , vWF , β-EP , PGE2 , were significantly improved after treatment in both groups ( P<0.05 ) . No adverse events were reported in this trial . Conclusions Both moxibustion and conventional drug showed desirable merits in managing menstrual pain , given their treatment effects and economic costs . This study as a pragmatic trial only demonstrates the effectiveness , not the efficacy , of moxibustion for menstrual pain . It ca n’t rule out the effect of psychological factors during treatment process , because no blind procedure or sham control was used due to availability . In clinical practice , moxibustion should be used at the discretion of patients and their physicians . Trial registration ClinialTrials.gov Background The heterogeneity statistic I2 , interpreted as the percentage of variability due to heterogeneity between studies rather than sampling error , depends on precision , that is , the size of the studies included . Methods Based on a real meta- analysis , we simulate artificially ' inflating ' the sample size under the r and om effects model . For a given inflation factor M = 1 , 2 , 3 , ... and for each trial i , we create a M-inflated trial by drawing a treatment effect estimate from the r and om effects model , using si2MathType@MTEF@5@5@+=feaagaart1ev2aaatCvAUfKttLearuWrP9MDH5MBPbIqV92AaeXatLxBI9gBaebbnrfifHhDYfgasaacPC6xNi = xH8viVGI8Gi = hEeeu0xXdbba9frFj0xb9qqpG0dXdb9aspeI8k8fiI+fsY = rqGqVepae9pg0db9vqaiVgFr0xfr = xfr = xc9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaaeqabiWaaaGcbaGaem4Cam3aa0baaSqaaiabdMgaPbqaaiabikdaYaaaaaa@2FBE@/M as within-trial sampling variance . Results As precision increases , while estimates of the heterogeneity variance τ2 remain unchanged on average , estimates of I2 increase rapidly to nearly 100 % . A similar phenomenon is apparent in a sample of 157 meta-analyses . Conclusion When deciding whether or not to pool treatment estimates in a meta- analysis , the yard-stick should be the clinical relevance of any heterogeneity present . τ2 , rather than I2 , is the appropriate measure for this purpose Importance Acupuncture is used to induce ovulation in some women with polycystic ovary syndrome , without supporting clinical evidence . Objective To assess whether active acupuncture , either alone or combined with clomiphene , increases the likelihood of live births among women with polycystic ovary syndrome . Design , Setting , and Participants A double-blind ( clomiphene vs placebo ) , single-blind ( active vs control acupuncture ) factorial trial was conducted at 21 sites ( 27 hospitals ) in mainl and China between July 6 , 2012 , and November 18 , 2014 , with 10 months of pregnancy follow-up until October 7 , 2015 . Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome were r and omized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to 4 groups . Interventions Active or control acupuncture administered twice a week for 30 minutes per treatment and clomiphene or placebo administered for 5 days per cycle , for up to 4 cycles . The active acupuncture group received deep needle insertion with combined manual and low-frequency electrical stimulation ; the control acupuncture group received superficial needle insertion , no manual stimulation , and mock electricity . Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was live birth . Secondary outcomes included adverse events . Results Among the 1000 r and omized women ( mean [ SD ] age , 27.9 [ 3.3 ] years ; mean [ SD ] body mass index , 24.2 [ 4.3 ] ) , 250 were r and omized to each group ; a total of 926 women ( 92.6 % ) completed the trial .  Live births occurred in 69 of 235 women ( 29.4 % ) in the active acupuncture plus clomiphene group , 66 of 236 ( 28.0 % ) in the control acupuncture plus clomiphene group , 31 of 223 ( 13.9 % ) in the active acupuncture plus placebo group , and 39 of 232 ( 16.8 % ) in the control acupuncture plus placebo group . There was no significant interaction between active acupuncture and clomiphene ( P = .39 ) , so main effects were evaluated . The live birth rate was significantly higher in the women treated with clomiphene than with placebo ( 135 of 471 [ 28.7 % ] vs 70 of 455 [ 15.4 % ] , respectively ; difference , 13.3 % ; 95 % CI , 8.0 % to 18.5 % ) and not significantly different between women treated with active vs control acupuncture ( 100 of 458 [ 21.8 % ] vs 105 of 468 [ 22.4 % ] , respectively ; difference , −0.6 % ; 95 % CI , −5.9 % to 4.7 % ) . Diarrhea and bruising were more common in patients receiving active acupuncture than control acupuncture ( diarrhea : 25 of 500 [ 5.0 % ] vs 8 of 500 [ 1.6 % ] , respectively ; difference , 3.4 % ; 95 % CI , 1.2 % to 5.6 % ; bruising : 37 of 500 [ 7.4 % ] vs 9 of 500 [ 1.8 % ] , respectively ; difference , 5.6 % ; 95 % CI , 3.0 % to 8.2 % ) . Conclusions and Relevance Among Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome , the use of acupuncture with or without clomiphene , compared with control acupuncture and placebo , did not increase live births . This finding does not support acupuncture as an infertility treatment in such women . Trial Registration clinical trials.gov Identifier : OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture at single point Shiqizhui ( EX-B8 ) and multi-points in time-varying treatment for primary dysmenorrhea . METHODS 600 patients with primary dysmenorrhea were r and omly assigned to the single point group ( n=200 ) including group A ( treating before the menstruation , n=100 ) and group B ( immediately treating as soon as pain occurrence , n=100 ) , the multi-points group ( n=200 ) including group C ( treating before the menstruation , n=100 ) and group D ( immediately treating as soon as pain occurrence , n=100 ) , or the control group , group E ( n=200 , no treatment ) . The therapeutic effects were analyzed after treatment for three menstrual cycles and interviewed for three follow-up periods . RESULTS Acupuncture could effectively relieve menstrual pain for primary dysmenorrhea compared with the control group ( P<0.05 , P<0.01 ) . Immediate pain relief occurred following acupuncture within 5 min in group B ( P<0.01 ) and group D ( P<0.01 ) , and the two groups obviously relieved menstrual pain for VAS scores . Both group A and group C obviously relieved menstrual pain ( P<0.01 ) , and group C was better than group A ( P<0.05 ) . Compared with group D , Group C was much better for CMSS scores in cycle 1 . CONCLUSION Treating before the menstruation is better than immediately treating as soon as pain occurrence at the improvement in symptoms of dysmenorrheal at multi-points . And single point is better than multi-points when immediately treating as soon as pain occurrence . The present trial suggest Shiqizhui ( EX-B8 ) should be chosen as a convenient point BACKGROUND Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea . But there is no convincing evidence due to low method ological quality . We aim to assess immediate effect of acupuncture at specific acupoint compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint on primary dysmenorrhea . METHODS The Acupuncture Analgesia Effect in Primary Dysmenorrhoea-II is a multicenter controlled trial conducted in six large hospitals of China . Patients who met inclusion criteria were r and omly assigned to classic acupoint ( N = 167 ) , unrelated acupoint ( N = 167 ) , or non-acupoint ( N = 167 ) group on a 1:1:1 basis . They received three sessions with electro-acupuncture at a classic acupoint ( Sanyinjiao , SP6 ) , or an unrelated acupoint ( Xuanzhong , GB39 ) , or nonacupoint location , respectively . The primary outcome was subjective pain as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale ( VAS ) . Measurements were obtained at 0 , 5 , 10 , 30 , and 60 minutes following the first intervention . In addition , patients scored changes of general complaints using Cox retrospective symptom scales ( RSS-Cox ) and 7-point verbal rating scale ( VRS ) during three menstrual cycles . Secondary outcomes included VAS score for average pain , pain total time , additional in-bed time , and proportion of participants using analgesics during three menstrual cycles . FINDINGS Five hundred and one people underwent r and om assignment . The primary comparison of VAS scores following the first intervention demonstrated that classic acupoint group was more effective both than unrelated acupoint ( -4.0 mm , 95 % CI -7.1 to -0.9 , P = 0.010 ) and nonacupoint ( -4.0 mm , 95 % CI -7.0 to -0.9 , P = 0.012 ) groups . However , no significant differences were detected among the three acupuncture groups for RSS-Cox or VRS outcomes . The per- protocol analysis showed similar pattern . No serious adverse events were noted . CONCLUSION Specific acupoint acupuncture produced a statistically , but not clinical ly , significant effect compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea patients . Future studies should focus on effects of multiple points acupuncture on primary dysmenorrhea This open-label r and omized controlled trial was design ed to compare the efficacy of acupuncture and combined oral contraceptive ( COC ) pill in treating moderate-to-severe primary dysmenorrhea . Fifty-two participants were r and omly assigned to receive either acupuncture ( n = 27 ) or COC ( n = 25 ) for three menstrual cycles . Mefenamic acid was prescribed as a recue analgesic drug with both groups . The statistical approach used for efficacy and safety assessment s was intention-to-treat analysis . By the end of the study , both treatments had result ed in significant improvement over baselines in all outcomes , that is , maximal dysmenorrhea pain scores , days suffering from dysmenorrhea , amount of rescue analgesic used , and quality of life assessed by SF-36 question naire . Over the three treatment cycles , COC caused greater reduction in maximal pain scores than acupuncture , while improvements in the remaining outcomes were comparable . Responders were defined as participants whose maximal dysmenorrhea pain scores decreased at least 33 % below their baseline . Response rates following both interventions at the end of the study were not statistically different . Acupuncture commonly caused minimal local side effects but did not cause any hormone-related side effects as did COC . In conclusion , acupuncture is an alternative option for relieving dysmenorrhea , especially when COC is not a favorable choice Background Deqi is a central concept in traditional Chinese acupuncture . We performed a secondary analysis on data from a larger r and omized controlled trial ( RCT ) in order to assess the effect of acupuncture on deqi traits and pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea . Methods A total of 60 primary dysmenorrhea patients were enrolled and r and omly assigned to one of three treatment groups . Acupuncture was given at SP6 , GB39 or nonacupoint .  Subjective pain was measured by a 100-mm visual analogue scale ( VAS ) before and after acupuncture . The Massachusetts General Hospital acupuncture sensation scales ( MASS ) with minor modification was used to rate deqi sensations during acupuncture . Results The results showed that VAS scores of pain after acupuncture were significantly decreased comparing to before acupuncture treatment in all three groups ( P = 0.000 ) . However , no significant differences were found among three groups at the beginning or end of acupuncture treatment ( P = 0.928 , P = 0.419 ) . Conclusions There was no statistical difference among three groups in terms of intensity of deqi feeling . The types of sensation were similar across the groups with only minor differences among them . Trial registration Trial registration number : Controlled-Trials.com IS RCT N24863192 OBJECTIVE To evaluate the analgesic and therapeutic effects of electro-superficial-acupuncture ( ESA ) of Sanyinjiao ( SP6 ) for treating primary dysmenorrhea ( PD ) . METHODS A total of 171 patients were r and omly divided into ESA ( n=57 ) , superficial acupuncture ( SA ) ( n=57 ) and medication ( n=57 ) groups . For patients in SA group , bilateral SP6 were punctured superficially with special single-use needles , and for those in ESA group , after puncturing , electric stimulation ( 60 Hz , 2 - 3 V ) was applied to SP6 for 30 min . Patients of medication group were ordered to take Brufen sustained-release capsules ( 0.3 mg , b. i. d. , for 3 days ) , then , take it again from the 3rd day on before the onset of menstruation to the 2nd day after the onset . The cumulative score of clinical symptoms were evaluated before and after the treatment . RESULTS Comparison among 3 groups showed that the difference values of score ( pre-treatment -- post-treatment ) of both ESA and SA groups were significantly bigger than that of medication group ( P<0.001 ) . After the treatment from 1 min to 30 min , patients with complete relief of dysmenorrhea of ESA group were significantly more than those of SA group during the 1st menstrual cycle ( P<0.05 ) . Results of intention-to-treat ( ITT ) analysis showed that of the three 57 cases in ESA , SA and medication groups , the cured cases were 40 , 38 and 10 , the markedly effective were 9 , 10 and 27 , the effective were 5 , 4 and 7 , and the failed were 3 , 5 and 13 , with the total effective rates being 94.74 % , 91.23 % and 77.19 % respectively . The effective rates of ESA and SA groups were significantly higher than that of medication group ( P<0.01 ) , and the results of per- protocol analysis ( PP ) were similar to those of ITT analysis . CONCLUSION The analgesic effect of both ESA and SA at SP6 for PD patients is significantly better than that of oral administration of Brufen OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare the effects of Sanyinjiao ( SP6 ) , Xuanzhong ( GB39 ) , and an adjacent non-meridian point on menstrual pain and uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea patients . DESIGN The design of the study was a prospect i ve , r and omized controlled trial . SETTING The setting of the study was the Sh and ong Institute of Medical Imaging , Jinan , China . PATIENTS The patients were 52 women with primary dysmenorrhea . INTERVENTIONS Women received electroacupuncture ( EA ) at SP6 ( n=13 ) , GB39 ( n=14 ) , and an adjacent non-meridian point ( n=12 ) , respectively , for 10 minutes when scored ≥40 on a 100-mm visual analog scale ( VAS ) , and for 30 minutes on the next 2 days . There was no EA in the waiting list group ( n=13 ) . OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcomes were menstrual pain , resistance index ( RI ) , and the ratio between peak systolic to end-diastolic flow velocity ( S/D ) in uterine arteries . Secondary outcomes included verbal rating scale ( VRS ) and retrospective symptom scale ( RSS ) . RESULTS The SP6 group had a highly significant reduction in VAS scores compared with the waiting list group ( -23.19 mm , 95 % confidence interval [CI]-32.06 to -14.33 , P<0.0001 ) , GB39 group ( -18.58 mm , 95 % CI -27.29 to -9.88 , P<0.0001 ) and the non-meridian point group ( -20.78 mm , 95 % CI -29.82 to -11.73 , P<0.0001 ) , respectively . A significant reduction in VRS scores was found in the SP6 group compared with the GB39 group ( P=0.034 ) and the non-meridian point group ( P=0.038 ) . There were no significant differences of RI , S/D-values and RSS scores among the four groups ( P>0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS EA at SP6 can immediately relieve menstrual pain and minimize the influence of pain on daily life compared with GB39 and an adjacent non-meridian point . The data preliminarily show the specificity of SP6 for the immediate pain relief of primary dysmenorrhea BACKGROUND Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea . OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of a single point of acupuncture in the management of primary dysmenorrhea compared with sham acupuncture and no acupuncture . METHODOLOGY Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were r and omly assigned to acupoint group ( n=50 ) , unrelated acupoint group ( n=50 ) , nonacupoint group ( n=46 ) , or no acupuncture group ( n=48 ) . Acupuncture and sham acupuncture were administered once-daily for 3 days with electro-acupuncture at Sanyinjiao ( SP6 ) that was specifically design ed to treat primary dysmenorrhea , or an unrelated acupoint ( Xuanzhong , GB39 ) , or nonacupoint location . The primary outcome was pain intensity as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale ( VAS ) at baseline ; 5 , 10 , 30 , and 60 minutes following the start of the first intervention . Cox retrospective symptom scale ( RSS ) , verbal rating scale ( VRS ) , pain total time , and proportion of participants using analgesics were also recorded during three menstrual cycles . RESULTS The primary comparison of VAS scores demonstrated that patients receiving acupuncture ( -15.56 mm , 95 % CI -22.16 to -8.95 , P<0.001 ) , unrelated acupoint ( -18.14 mm , 95 % CI -24.81 to -11.47 , P<0.001 ) , and nonacupoint ( -10.96 mm , 95 % CI -17.62 to -4.30 , P=0.001 ) treatment presented significant improvements compared with no acupuncture group . There were no significant differences among the four groups with respect to secondary outcomes . CONCLUSION Acupuncture was better than no acupuncture for relieving the pain of dysmenorrhea following a single point of acupuncture , but no differences were detected between acupoint acupuncture and unrelated acupoint acupuncture , acupoint acupuncture and nonacupoint acupuncture OBJECTIVE To compare the cumulative analgesic effect of electroacupuncture ( EA ) stimulation of Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 ) , Xuanzhong ( GB 39 ) and non-acupoint for primary dysmenorrhea patients . METHODS A total of 200 patients with primary dysmenorrhea were r and omly assigned to Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 , a dysmenorrheal-relieving related acupoint ) group , Xuanzhong ( GB 39 , an unrelated acupoint ) group , non-acupoint group and control group , with 50 cases in each group . The participants were administered with EA ( 2 Hz/100 Hz , 0.5 - 1.6 mA ) at SP 6 , GB 39 and non-acupoint for 30 min , once daily for 3 consecutive days . The intensity of the pain was ranked from 0 ( no pain ) to 100 ( intolerable ) using visual analogue scale ( VAS ) and RSS ( Cox retrospective symptom scale ) severity rating scores ( RSS-COX 2 ) before and after three interventions . RESULTS In comparison with the control group , VAS and RSS-COX 2 scores were significantly lower in the SP 36 , GB 39 and non-acupoint groups ( P < 0.001 , P < 0.05 ) , suggesting an alleviation of the pain severity after EA treatment . No significant differences were found among the three treatment groups in both VAS and RSS-COX 2 scores ( P > 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION EA stimulation of SP 6 , GB 39 and non-acupoint has a good cumulative analgesic effect in patients with primary dysmenorrhea OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of instant electroacupuncture ( EA ) at the different acupoints on IP3 in the uterus tissue of dysmenorrhea model rats so as to investigate the specificity of acupoints . METHODS Fifty female SD rats were r and omly divided into a saline group , a model group , a Sanyinjiao ( SF 6 ) group , a Xuehai ( SP 10 ) group and a Hegu ( LI 4 ) group , 10 rats in each group . The rats were given subcutaneous injection of Estradiol Beozoate injection for 10 consecutive days except those in the saline group , and intraperitoneal injection of 2U Oxytocin at 1 h after the last administration to create the dysmenorrhea rats model , and the saline group was given the same dose of saline every day . On the 10th day the rats in each EA group were given EA 20 min , and the rats in the saline group and model group were bound 20 min , and the writhing response was observed at the same time . The uterine IP3 contents were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method . RESULTS ( 1 ) Compared with ( 0.311+/- 0.253 ) in the saline group , the writhing scores per minute of ( 5.867 + /- 3.442 ) in the model group and ( 2.311 + /- 0.957 ) in the Xuehai ( SP 10 ) group were both increased significantly ( P < 0.01 , P < 0.05 ) , and ( 1.833 + /- 1.355 ) in the Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 ) group and ( 0.743 + /- 0.306 ) in the Hegu ( LI 4 ) group showed no significant differences ( P > 0.05 ) . Compared with that in the model group , the writhing scores per minute decreased significantly ( all P < 0.01 ) in all the EA groups , with no significant differences among all the EA groups ( all P > 0.05 ) . ( 2 ) Compared with ( 2.698 + /- 1.491 ) ng/mg in the saline group , IP3 contents of the uterus of ( 0.813 + /- 0.899 ) ng/mg in the model group , ( 1.740 + /- 0.375 ) ng/mg in the Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 ) group and ( 0.692 + /- 0.212 ) ng/mg in the Hegu ( LI 4 ) group were all lower significantly ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.01 ) , and ( 0.743+/- 0.306 ) ng/mg in the Xuehai ( SP 10 ) group showed no significant differences ( P > 0.05 ) . Compared with that in the model group , IP3 content of the uterus in the Hegu ( LI 4 ) group showed no significant difference ( P > 0.05 ) , and those in the Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 ) group and in the Xuehai ( SP 10 ) group increased significantly ( both P < 0 05 ) , which were significantly higher than that in the Hegu ( II 4 ) group ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSION There are no significant differences among the instant EA groups in improving the dysmenorrhea symptoms , but there is obvious specificity of acupoint effects in the regulation of IP3 .  Electroacupuncture at " Sanyinjiao ( SP 6 ) " Xuehai ( SP 10 ) " has more marked effect in dysmenorrhea model rats Objective To explore the physiologic mechanism of immediate analgesic effect of acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea patients . Methods Forty primary dysmenorrhea patients were r and omized into the Sanyinjiao ( SP6 ) acupuncture group , Xuanzhong ( GB39 ) control group , nonacupoint control group , or no acupuncture group . Patients in the 3 acupuncture groups were treated with electroacupuncture at assigned points lasting 30 minutes , whereas patients in no acupuncture group did not receive any acupuncture intervention . Before and after acupuncture , visual analogue scale ( VAS ) scores were recorded and blood sample s were taken for the measurement of the plasma levels of 4 principal prostagl and ins ( PGE2 , PGF2a , TXB2 , and 6-keto PGF1a ) . Results The VAS scores for pain intensity significant decreased in patients who received acupuncture compared with those had no acupuncture intervention . However , there were no significant differences among patients in the 3 acupuncture groups after acupuncture . In addition , no statistically significant differences were observed in the plasma PGE2 , PGF2a , TXB2 , or 6-keto PGF1a levels and the ratios of PGF2a/PGE2 , and TXB2/6-keto PGF1a after acupuncture at SP6 . Conclusions The immediate analgesic effect of SP6 might not be mediated by changes in the prostagl and in levels
target: EA was superior to pharmacological treatment when the treatment duration lasted for three menstrual cycles , evidence d by significantly higher curative rate .
  No statistically significant differences between EA at SP6 and control groups were found regarding the VRS , RSS-COX1 , and RSS-COX2 .
  The findings of our study suggested that EA can provide considerable immediate analgesia effect for PD .
background: Electroacupuncture ( EA ) is considered to be a promising alternative therapy to relieve the menstrual pain for primary dysmenorrhea ( PD ) , but the conclusion is controversial .
  Here , we conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis specifically to evaluate the clinical efficacy from r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) on the use of EA in patients with PD .