--- title: Acupuncture and acupressure: 55 studies, explained | Niyora description: 55 studies on acupuncture and acupressure and PMS or PMDD, each summarised in plain English: what was tested, who took part, what they found and what it means url: https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-acupuncture/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Acupuncture and acupressure # Acupuncture and acupressure: what the research says 55 studies on acupuncture and acupressure in PMS and PMDD, each explained in plain English. 8 of them use the strongest designs: randomised trials and systematic reviews. Randomised trial 16 Systematic review 11 Study 10 Survey study 5 Non-randomised trial 5 Review 4 Systematic review, 2026 Which traditional Chinese medicine treatments work best for PMS? Several traditional Chinese medicine therapies help PMS based on multiple studies. Jianpi-Shugan acupuncture had the best overall effectiveness rate, while ear acupressure was most effective for reducing individual symptoms. However, many studies had quality concerns, so stronger evidence is needed. Systematic review, 2024 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? SSRIs (antidepressants) and combined oral contraceptives (birth control pills) have the strongest evidence. For difficult cases, GnRH agonists and surgery work. Some alternatives like acupuncture and yoga show promise but need better quality research. Systematic review, 2022 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? SSRIs (antidepressants) and combined oral contraceptives (birth control pills) have the strongest evidence. For difficult cases, GnRH agonists and surgery work. Some alternatives like acupuncture and yoga show promise but need better quality research. Review, 2017 Can combining different types of treatments help PMS more than using one approach alone? Yes. An integrative approach combining medicines, supplements, mind-body techniques, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes can effectively address PMS. Systematic review, 2014 Do acupuncture and herbal medicine help PMS or PMDD symptoms? Both acupuncture and herbal medicine significantly improved PMS and PMDD symptoms, with most treatments providing over 50% improvement. They appear safe, though the evidence is limited. Systematic review, 2010 Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome? Evidence for acupuncture treating PMS is limited and understudied. Most evidence focuses on period pain and menopause, but all evidence has quality problems. Systematic review, 2007 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Many treatments have been studied for PMS, but researchers face a major challenge: there is no standard way to measure symptom severity, making it difficult to know which treatments truly work. Randomised trial, 2003 What complementary and alternative medicines help with women's reproductive health issues? Acupressure helps with pregnancy nausea and calcium helps with PMS. Vitamin B6, ginger, magnesium, chaste-tree berry, low-fat diet, exercise, and fish oil show promise but need more research. Survey study, 2026 What are the causes, diagnosis, and treatments for PMS and PMDD? This review consolidates what doctors know about PMS and PMDD. PMS affects 12-98% of reproductive-age women and PMDD affects 2-5%. Treatments range from lifestyle changes, therapy, and vitamins to medications like SSRIs and oral contraceptives. Review, 2026 Can traditional Chinese medicine help treat PMDD? This review suggests that traditional Chinese medicine approaches like herbal medicine and acupuncture may help PMDD symptoms and might have fewer side effects than standard medications. However, more rigorous research is needed before it can become a standard treatment. Randomised trial, 2025 Do coping skills training or acupressure better reduce premenstrual stress? Both coping skills training and acupressure significantly reduced premenstrual stress compared to no treatment. The two treatments were equally effective, so either could be used based on preference. Survey study, 2025 How are PMS and PMDD diagnosed and treated? PMS and PMDD are diagnosed by tracking symptoms for at least two cycles and noting if they occur in the luteal phase. SSRIs are first-line treatment. Cognitive behavior therapy, exercise, acupuncture, and the herb Vitex agnus castus may also help. Randomised trial, 2023 Does electrical acupoint stimulation at Yongquan (KI-1) help with PMS? Yes. Electrical acupoint stimulation was 69 percent effective in reducing PMS symptoms, compared to 40 percent for herbal treatment. The stimulation also improved hormone levels and reduced stress hormones and neurotransmitters. Review, 2023 Can herbs and supplements help with PMS symptoms? Herbs like chaste berry and supplements like calcium and magnesium may help with PMS. Evidence is strongest when combined with lifestyle changes and therapy, though more research is needed. Study, 2023 Do alternative and complementary therapies help premenstrual syndrome? Therapies such as herbs, acupuncture, yoga, and aromatherapy showed improvements in PMS symptoms like breast pain, headache, and dizziness. Randomised trial, 2022 Does auriculotherapy reduce PMS symptoms? Both auriculotherapy and placebo auriculotherapy reduced PMS symptoms, pain, and anxiety. The benefits were similar between the two groups, suggesting placebo effect may play a role. Randomised trial, 2021 Does electroacupuncture reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Electroacupuncture significantly reduced PMS symptoms compared to placebo acupuncture, and it changed several hormone and brain chemical levels. Randomised trial, 2021 Does yoga or acupressure help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Yes, both helped, but yoga was significantly more effective than acupressure. The yoga group had larger reductions in PMS symptoms and bigger improvements in physical health, psychological health, and life circumstances. Randomised trial, 2021 Does education and acupressure help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Yes. Women who received health belief model-based education and acupressure, or education alone, both showed significant improvements in PMS symptoms and quality of life compared to a control group. Systematic review, 2019 Does acupuncture help treat PMS? Yes, acupuncture appears more effective than medication and sham acupuncture for treating PMS. When to start treatment does not significantly affect how well it works. Study, 2018 What treatments work best for premenstrual syndrome? Many treatments reduce PMS. Most helpful were nutrition and exercise, followed by medication, stretching, massage, acupuncture, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cost and access are major barriers. Randomised trial, 2017 Does acupressure at specific points reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, acupressure at points LIV3 and LI4 for 14 days before menstruation reduced PMS symptoms, anxiety, and depression, and improved quality of life compared to placebo acupressure. Study, 2016 Does acupuncture help with irritability and other mood symptoms of PMS? Yes. Women who received acupuncture showed significant improvement in their mood symptoms. About 73% of women said they were satisfied with the treatment. Review, 2016 How common are PMS and PMDD, and what are the best treatments? Up to 12% of women are affected by premenstrual disorders that significantly affect their lives. SSRIs are the most evidence-based treatment; oral contraceptives and calcium may also help, but vitamin D and herbal remedies have weak evidence. Cohort study, 2016 How many Australian women have PMS and do they use complementary medicine? 41.2% of women aged 34-39 reported PMS. Women with PMS used complementary medicine practitioners and therapies significantly more often than those without. Randomised trial, 2015 Does acupuncture combined with ear acupuncture help menstrual headaches? Yes, acupuncture combined with ear acupuncture was effective in 95.4 percent of women, which was notably better than medication (81 percent). It appears to work by lowering pain-related chemicals in the blood. Randomised trial, 2013 Does acupuncture help anxiety and depression from PMDD? Real acupuncture reduced anxiety and depression significantly more than sham acupuncture, with anxiety scores dropping 58.9% versus 21.2% and depression scores dropping 52.0% versus 19.6%, suggesting a real treatment effect. 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. Randomised trial, 2006 Does acupoint catgut embedding work better than fluoxetine for PMS? Yes, the study found it significantly better than fluoxetine after 3 months (P < 0.005). However, this was a small, older study that only compared it to one medication. Randomised trial, 2005 Does acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine help premenstrual mouth ulcers? Yes. Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with Chinese medicine was effective in 91.7% of women, compared to 64.5% with Chinese medicine alone. Randomised trial, 2005 Does acupuncture with herbal injection work better than medication for premenstrual tension syndrome? Acupuncture with herbal injection had a 92.6 percent success rate compared to 75 percent for standard medication over 3 menstrual cycles. However, the study could not be blinded, so expectations may have influenced results. Randomised trial, 2005 Can acupuncture effectively treat PMS? Possibly. Seven out of 8 controlled studies found acupuncture more effective than Western medicine or Chinese herbs for PMS. However, more research is needed to confirm these results. Survey study, 1998 How common is PMS and what treatments do women use? 41% of US women said they had PMS, and an additional 17% experienced PMS symptoms without labeling them as PMS. Of those with symptoms, 42% used medication, mostly over-the-counter drugs; most who tried complementary therapy like exercise found it helpful. Case report, 2026 Can Korean medicine help severe period pain and premenstrual stomach problems? Yes. One 37-year-old woman had severe period pain improve from 8-9 to 0-1 on a pain scale, stopped needing painkillers, and her stomach problems resolved after 7 months of Korean medicine treatment. Non-randomised trial, 2025 Does acupressure help relieve PMS symptoms? Acupressure reduced PMS symptom severity and improved ability to function in nursing students. The study did not have a control group and reported results qualitatively, so we cannot be very confident about how much improvement occurred. Case report, 2023 Does acupuncture combined with supplements and meditation help PMS? A 36-year-old woman with long-standing PMS saw major improvement in her symptoms after combining acupuncture treatments with several supplements and daily meditation. However, this is just one case, so we do not know which parts of the treatment helped most. Systematic review, 2023 What nonpharmacological methods help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Aromatherapy, educational programs, health belief models, and acupressure were found effective. However, confidence is low because only four studies met the inclusion criteria. Study, 2023 Does teaching adolescents about PMS help them manage it? Yes. After a health education program, adolescent girls had better understanding of PMS symptoms and knew how to manage them. Some needed ongoing support to actually use the techniques. Non-randomised trial, 2022 Is reflexology or acupressure more helpful for period symptoms? Reflexology reduced symptoms more than acupressure in this 40-girl study. Both groups improved but there was no untreated control group. Study, 2022 What are the symptoms, causes, and treatments of PMS and PMDD? PMS affects 20-40% of menstruating women and causes fatigue, mood changes, and bloating. PMDD is less common but more severe. Possible causes involve hormone changes and brain chemistry. Treatments include lifestyle changes and medications. Study, 2021 Does acupuncture at a specific point change how the brain works in women with PMS? The study found that acupuncture at a point called SP6 changed brain activity in several areas. Since this was a small study with no comparison group, we cannot be confident about how much this matters for treatment. Study, 2021 Does 6-minute electro-acupuncture at one acupuncture point change brain activity in women with PMS? Yes. Electro-acupuncture at the SP6 point changed how different parts of the brain connected to each other. Systematic review, 2018 Does acupuncture or acupressure help PMS symptoms? Acupuncture may reduce mood-related PMS symptoms more than sham acupuncture, but the evidence is very weak due to small studies with design problems. We cannot be confident it works. Study, 2018 Does acupuncture at a specific point change brain activity in women with PMS? Yes, acupuncture at the SP6 point changed activity in several brain regions. It is unclear whether these changes help with PMS symptoms. Randomised trial, 2015 Does laser acupuncture with relaxation technique help premenstrual tension? Yes. Laser acupuncture combined with a relaxation technique reduced muscle tension, heart rate, and breathing rate in women with premenstrual tension. Survey study, 2013 Does acupuncture help PMS symptoms? Possibly. Eight out of twelve published studies showed that acupuncture groups improved more than control groups, but the studies varied in quality and more research is needed. Non-randomised trial, 2013 Does ear acupressure therapy help PMS symptoms? The study found that women who received ear acupressure therapy had lower symptom scores than women who did not. However, the study was small and not randomized, so we cannot be certain the therapy itself caused the improvement. Study, 2012 Does acupuncture help PMS symptoms? In this small study of 11 women, acupuncture treatment over 3 months reduced or eliminated PMS complaints. Muscle pain, breast pain, and painful periods showed the most obvious improvement. Systematic review, 2010 Does acupuncture help PMS and what side effects does it cause? Acupuncture might help PMS symptoms compared to medications, but the studies have too many design problems to be confident. Case report, 2009 Can acupuncture help PMDD? In one woman with severe PMDD, symptoms improved during acupuncture treatment but returned when she stopped. It's unclear whether acupuncture truly caused the improvement. Non-randomised trial, 2009 Does hand acupuncture or hand moxibustion reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Both hand acupuncture and hand moxibustion significantly reduced overall PMS symptom severity compared to control. Moxibustion also improved skin temperature balance. Survey study, 2007 Is pain sensitivity different in people with severe PMS? People with high PMS had significantly lower pain sensitivity at one specific acupuncture point (SP6) but not at other points tested. This suggests a connection between PMS and pain sensitivity. Study, 2005 Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome? This is a protocol describing a planned systematic review of acupuncture for PMS. No results are reported because the review has not yet been completed. Randomised trial, 2002 Does acupuncture treat PMS symptoms? Acupuncture may help PMS symptoms. 77.8% of women in the acupuncture group improved, compared to 5.9% in the placebo group. Non-randomised trial, 1974 Can acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome? A small case report of 6 women showed improvement with acupuncture, but without a comparison group we cannot be confident it works. Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗