Period pain may be reduced by acupuncture, says new study

A new study now suggests that acupuncture can ‘significantly’ reduce period pain for up to a year. The study found that acupuncture reduces both intensity and duration of symptoms.

The study gave more than half the women participating acupuncture and there was a 50 percent reduction of their pain in over three months of the treatment.

The study brings good tidings for women as up to four in five suffer from menstrual pain at some stage during their reproductive years.

Following up with earlier research that found twisting the needles raises nitric oxide levels in the skin, which in turn releases painkilling chemicals, researchers said pain relief was greatest fro those having the manual type of therapy as opposed to electro-acupuncture.

Dysmenorrhea or period pain normally lasts 48 to 72 hours though it can last longer.

It's usually at its worst when your bleeding is heaviest.

Lead author of the study Dr Mike Armour from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) in Australia, said the results are promising.

According to him, pragmatic trials of acupuncture have shown a reduction in pain intensity and an improvement in quality of life in women with period pain.

The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.