The efficacy of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms (ACOM study): protocol for a randomised study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Documents
- The efficacy of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms (AC OM study) protocol for a randomised study
Final published version, 390 KB, PDF document
INTRODUCTION: Around 75% of menopausal women experience hot flushes (HF) and 10-20% of all postmenopausal women find this very distressing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture on moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms in general and HF in particular.
METHODS: An un-blinded randomised trial (cross-over) with 1:1 allocation to early (intervention) versus late (control) acupuncture. The included women suffer from moderate-to-severe HF and will receive a weekly treatment during five consecutive weeks in the following predefined acupuncture points: CV-3, CV-4, LR-8, SP-6, SP-9. All acupuncturists will be medical doctors educated in acupuncture. The primary outcome is change in HF from baseline to week 6 measured by the HF scale from the MenoScores Questionnaire (MSQ). Secondary outcomes are change in other menopausal symptoms, in particular day and night sweats and menopausal-specific sleeping problems, also measured by other scales from the MSQ. A total of 68 patients must be enrolled to detect a relevant clinical reduction on the above MSQ scales. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses will be conducted; four or more treatments are considered adequate adherence.
CONCLUSIONS: In the ACOM study, we explore the potential benefits of acupuncture on moderate-to-severe meno-pausal symptoms. The cross-over design offers the possi-bility of examining the legacy effect of acupuncture.
FUNDING: The Idella Foundation, the University of Copenhagen and the Research Foundation of General Practice.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials NCT02746497.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | A5344 |
Journal | Danish Medical Journal |
Volume | 64 |
Issue number | 3 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-6 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 2245-1919 |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2017 |
- Acupuncture Therapy, Adult, Cross-Over Studies, Denmark, Female, Hot Flashes, Humans, Menopause, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial
Research areas
Links
Number of downloads are based on statistics from Google Scholar and www.ku.dk
ID: 174843285