[Efficacy on endometriosis treated with electroacupuncture]

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Integrative Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Endometriosis (EM) is a chronic condition causing significant pain and impacting fertility.
• Current treatments include hormonal therapy and surgery, often with associated side effects and recurrence.
• Novel therapeutic approaches are needed to improve clinical outcomes for endometriosis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) versus western medication for treating endometriosis.
• To evaluate pain reduction, tumor marker levels, and recurrence rates in both treatment groups.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 72 endometriosis patients divided into EA and western medication groups.
• EA involved acupuncture at specific acupoints with electrical stimulation, administered every two days.
• The western medication group received mifepristone tablets orally for six months.

Main Results:

• Both EA and western medication showed high total effective rates (94.4% vs 91.7%).
• EA resulted in significantly lower post-treatment pain scores and serum CA125 levels compared to western medication.
• After one year, the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the EA group (17.6%) than in the western medication group (33.3%).

Conclusions:

• Electroacupuncture demonstrates significant clinical efficacy in managing endometriosis.
• EA offers a superior long-term outcome with a notably reduced recurrence rate compared to conventional western medication.
• EA presents a promising and promotable therapeutic option for clinical practice in acupuncture and moxibustion.