Acupuncture for Endometriosis and PCOS

Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome are common within women who present with menstrual irregularities, pain or discomfort. Below we have outlined some information on both conditions. If you or someone you know present with either of these conditions and would like to know if Acupuncture can offer symptoms assistance in conjunction with your current health care plan, please get in contact with our team on: (07) 5515 0409. Our practitioners assist patients with post-surgery treatments for endometriosis who are about to embark on a pregnancy journey through ART/IVF methods.  Many health practitioners may recommend acupuncture as an adjunct treatment that may assist with IVF treatment. There is continuing research about how acupuncture can assist with the effectiveness of IVF treatment. It is preferred that you consult with your treating practitioner about how acupuncture may be able to help you. 

 

 What is Endometriosis? 

• Endometriosis is a common disease in which tissue similar to the endometrium (the uterus lining) is found growing outside of the uterus and womb or in other abnormal parts of the body (1, 2, 3, 4).
• This etopic tissue responds to hormonal changes of a women’s menstrual cycle resulting in inflammation and pain (5).
• It affects young teenage girls and women of all ages during their most productive years (approx. 15 – 49 years of age) (1, 2, 3, 4).

 Common Symptoms of Endometriosis? 

• Pelvic, low back or leg pain (3).
• Fatigue (3).
• Pain during or after sex (3).
• Dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) (5).
• Pain with bowl movements (3).
• Pain on or around ovulation (3).
• Debilitating pain during or around your period (3).
• Pain upon urination, or trouble holding on to urine (3).
• Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding (3).

Although the cause of endometriosis still remains unclear (6), there are speculations of potential causes being related to hormonal imbalances, immune responses or chronic inflammation (2), a reaction to retrograde menstrual flow - which is a backward flow of menstrual blood and fluids through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity instead of flowing out of the body (2, 4).

Sharing awareness is crucial for endometriosis due to the varying symptoms between women that may contribute to a 7 – 10 year delay in an actual diagnosis of this condition (1, 4). Endometriosis can increase chances of fertility complications or other long-term health complaints. If you have an questions regarding ways Acupuncture may be able to assist your reproductive health please phone us on (07) 5515 0409.

For more information view our article Acupuncture for Endometriosis Gold Coast. 

It is important to note, acupuncture does not treat the disease of Endometriosis or PCOS. Acupuncture may be able to assist with management of symptoms i.e pain, stress, fatigue or nausea associated with some autoimmune conditions in consultation with other treating health practitioners.

 

References:

1. Han JS, 2004, Acupunctrue and endorphins. Neurosci Lett; 361:258-61
2. Kyama C et al. 2003, Potential involvement of the immune system in the development of endometriosos. Reproductve Biology and Endocrinology, 1; 123.
3. Rogers Pa, et al. 2009, ‘Priorities for endometriosis research: recommendations from an international consensus workshop’. Reprod Sci; 16(4):335-46.
4. Rubi-Klein K, Kucera-Sliutz E, Nissel H, Bijak M, Stockenhuber D, Fink M, Wolkenstein E. 2010, ‘Is acupuncture in addition to conventional medicine effective as pain treatment for endometriosis?: A randomized controlled cross-over trail. Euro J Obstet Gynecol Repro Biol. 153(1):90-93.
5. https://www.endofound.org/endometriosis
6. http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/a-to-z-of-conditions/a-to-z-of-conditions/endometriosis.html 

 

PCOS – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome 

PCOS is recognised as one of the most common endocrine and metabolic disorders in women with a prevalence of 6 -15 % in reproductive aged women (5). PCOS has no universally accepted definition and is known to have an array of different characteristics including (4):

• Anovulatory menstrual cycles: manifesting as oligomenorrhoea (infrequent menstruation at intervals longer than 35 days); Secondary amenorrhoea (absence of menstrual bleeding in women who have been menstruating but later stop menstruating for 3+ months); Cystic ovaries; infertility due to chronic anovulation (inability to release an oocyte during a menstrual cycle/ impaired ovulation). 
• Pituitary dysfunction: manifesting as high serum LH (luteinizing hormone); high serum prolactin.
• Androgen excess (i.e. testosterone): manifesting as Hirsutism (excess hair growth); acne.
• Obesity: manifesting as hyperglycaemia; elevated oestrogens.  
• Insulin resistance: manifesting as dyslipidaemia (abnormally elevated fats or cholesterol (lipids) in the blood; Hypertension (high blood pressure). 

 

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is broad, with many of its manifestations being interrelated. From a diagnostic point of view when being examined for PCOS your GP/Doctor will often require the presence of two of the following characteristics:

1. Menstrual cycle irregularities. 
2. Multiple cysts on the ovaries. 
3. Androgen excess, or other specific blood test findings. 

A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted on the effectiveness of Acupuncture in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (1).

The study concludes that Acupuncture may increase clinical pregnancy rates and ongoing pregnancy rates. The study also found that Acupuncture might help reduce incidences of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome in women with PCOS undergoing IVF or ICSI (1).

Ongoing research is required to understand the mechanisms and efficacy of Acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy to assist women going through IVF and PCOS (1, 2, 7). 

Another study was conducted to determine if regular Acupuncture with low frequency electro-acupuncture could improve menstrual frequency and decrease circulating testosterone in women with PCOS. The Acupuncture control group reported a higher ovulation frequency during treatments opposed to the other control group who underwent weekly meetings with a physical therapist. After 10 – 13 weeks of intervention the acupuncture control group concluded increases in ovulation and reductions in ovarian and adrenal sex steroid serum levels (3). Although there is some emerging clinical evidence, research is still ongoing and inconclusive. We always recommend you contact your practitioner to determine wether acupuncture can assist your symptoms.

In a study, Lim 2016 (Cochrane SR of 5 RCTs) Insufficient evidence; low to very low quality evidence that supports the use of acupuncture in PCOS and should be noted that research is ongoing and findings are unclear (6). 

In a study, Ren 2014 (SR & MA of 31 studies), conclude that Acupuncture may be effective; low quality evidence (7). 

 

 

References: 

1. Jo J, Lee YJ, 2017, Effectiveness of acupuncture in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing in vitro or intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a systematic review and meta-analysis’,Acupunct Med. Jun;35(3), pp. 162 -170. 
2. Jo J, Lee YJ, Lee H, 2017, Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis, medicine (Baltimore), Jun;96(23). 
3. Johansson J, Redman L, wVeldhuis PP, Sazonova A, Labrie F, Holm, Johannsson G, Stener-Victorin E, 2013, Acupuncture for ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 30499) pp. 934-43. 
4. Colledge, N, Walker, B & Ralston, S 2010, Davidson’s Principles & Practice of Medicine, 21^st edn, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, Edinburgh.
5. Fan Q, Yan W, Xiao-Yang H, John A, Jue Z, Fang-Fang W, Ying-Hui Y, Rong Z, Song-ping H, Ji-Sheng H, Rong L, Malcolm B, gardiaan, PJ, Robinson N, 2016, The effects of acupuncture on polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis, European Journal of Integrative Medicine, Vol. 8, Is. 1, pp. 12-18. 

6.  Lim CE, Ng RW, Xu K, Cheng NC, Xue CC, Liu JP, et al. Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016(5):Cd007689.

7. 207. Ren LN, Guo LH, Ma WZ, Zhang R. [A meta-analysis on acupuncture treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome]. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2014 Jun;39(3):238-46.