---
title: Does acupuncture help PMS symptoms? | Niyora
description: Acupuncture seems to help more than placebo or doing nothing, but the studies had quality problems so we cannot be very confident.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/acupuncture-for-premenstrual-syndrome-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis-of-2011/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does acupuncture help PMS symptoms?

Systematic review, 2011

# Does acupuncture help PMS symptoms?

Acupuncture seems to help more than placebo or doing nothing, but the studies had quality problems so we cannot be very confident.

 Moderate study design

Women with PMS (across 10 randomised controlled trials)

## What they did

Searched 10 electronic databases through June 2009 for randomised controlled trials comparing acupuncture to sham acupuncture, medications, or no treatment for women with PMS. Included 10 RCTs in the review.

## What they found

Acupuncture was superior to all controls (8 trials, risk ratio 1.55). Acupuncture was better than different doses of medications (4 trials, risk ratio 1.49). Acupuncture significantly improved symptoms compared with sham acupuncture (2 trials, risk ratio 5.99). No harmful effects were reported.

## What it means for you

Acupuncture might help PMS symptoms more than nothing or fake acupuncture. However, most studies had problems with how they were done, including issues with random sequence generation, allocation concealment and blinding. More rigorous research is needed.

10

Randomised controlled trials included

1.55

Risk ratio vs all controls

5.99

Risk ratio vs sham acupuncture

## About the study

Original title Acupuncture for premenstrual syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Authors Kim SY, Park HJ, Lee H et al. Journal BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Year 2011 Study design Systematic review What was tested Acupuncture Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.02994.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.02994.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Acupuncture and acupressure](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-acupuncture/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Systematic review, 2026

Which traditional Chinese medicine treatments work best for PMS?

Systematic review, 2024

What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS?

Systematic review, 2022

What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS?

Review, 2017

Can combining different types of treatments help PMS more than using one approach alone?

Systematic review, 2014

Do acupuncture and herbal medicine help PMS or PMDD symptoms?

Systematic review, 2010

Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗