Study of acupuncture combined with partitioned mild moxibustion for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture combined with indirect moxibustion in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, parallel-controlled trial was conducted. 120 patients with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided into two groups: a treatment group (n=80) and a control group (n=40). The treatment group received acupuncture combined with indirect moxibustion; the control group received oral ibuprofen capsules. The mean abdominal pain score during and before menstruation was used as an indicator, and the results were observed over three menstrual cycles. RESULTS: The treatment group showed a significantly higher effective rate (47.5%), a higher effective rate (51.3%), and a higher total effective rate (98.8%) compared to the control group (7.5%), which showed a significantly higher effective rate (15.0%) and a higher total effective rate (22.5%). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). No adverse reactions occurred in the treatment group during the observation period. The treatment cost for the treatment group for three courses was 110.70 yuan. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with indirect moxibustion is an effective, safe, and cost-efficient treatment for primary dysmenorrhea.