Clinical Study on Premenstrual Acupuncture and Moxibustion Stimulation of Ren Meridian in Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea
LI Xiaoyan
MOU Zijun
DU Dongqing
WANG Lujun
MA Yuxia
Abstract：Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of premenstrual acupuncture and moxibustion stimulation of the Ren meridian in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea(PD).Methods:This study adopted a prospective cohort design,with the expo-sure factor being whether the Ren meridian was stimulated.Eventually,108 patients with primary dysmenorrhea who received acupuncture and moxibustion treatment were included.According to the actual situation of the subjects receiving acupuncture and moxibustion treatment,they were divided into the Ren meridian group(73 cases)and the non-Ren meridian group(35 cases).The acupuncture method and acupoints are determined based on the patient's condition.The treatment was continued for three menstrual cycles,followed up for one menstrual cycle thereafter.The COX Menstrual Symptom Scale(CMSS)scores(including severity and duration)during the treatment period and the follow-up period were compared between the two groups.The scores of various traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes and the total scores of the two groups before and after treatment were compared.The short-term clinical efficacy and the clinical efficacy during the follow-up period of the two groups were compared.Results:During the first,second and third menstrual cycles of treatment and the follow-up period,the CMSS scores(severity and duration)of both groups decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05).With the advancement of the treatment course,the CMSS scores(severity and duration)of both groups showed a decreasing trend(P＜0.01).During the follow-up period,the CMSS score(severity and duration)of the Ren meridian group was lower than that of the non-Ren meridian group(P＜0.05).Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test the CMSS score data.The results showed that there was an interaction between exposure factors and time factors(P＜0.05),and both were important influencing factors of the CMSS score.However,there was no statistically significant difference in the analysis of the effects between the two subjects(P＞0.05).After treatment,each TCM syndrome score and total scores of both groups decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.01).After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of whether there were blood clots,breast distension and pain,and scanty menstruation and total scores in the Ren meridian group were all lower than those in the non-Ren meridian group(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the short-term clinical efficacy between the two groups(P＞0.05).The therapeutic effect of the Ren meridian group during the follow-up period was better than that of the non-Ren meridian group(P＜0.05).Conclusions:Premenstrual acupuncture and moxibustion stimulation of the Ren meridian has demonstrated excellent efficacy and high safety in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea,providing high-quality real-world evidence for the clinical treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.
Keywords：Ren meridianacupuncture and moxibustionpremenstrualprimary dysmenorrheaprospective cohort studyclinical study
Publication Date：2026-02-05
Online Publishing Date：2026-05-22(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 128-133 )