Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of cyclic mastalgia: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

About 68% of women aged 18-44 years have experienced cyclic mastalgia (CM), which occurs during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle when elevated hormone levels induce greater breast gland thickness. CM has a moderate-to-severe impact on a woman's quality of life. Prior research has suggested that acupuncture may be beneficial for breast pain relief. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of manual acupuncture (MA) in the treatment of CM compared with that of sham acupuncture (SA).

Methods

This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. A total of 108 eligible CM patients will be randomly assigned to either MA (n = 54) or SA (n = 54) group using a 1:1 ratio and a stratified, blocked randomization. Acupuncture will be performed two weeks prior to

SUBMITTER: Yu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9675264 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature