Can Acupuncture Help Endometriosis-Related Pain? What Clinical Research Shows

Can Acupuncture Help? The Short Answer

Clinical research suggests acupuncture can help relieve endometriosis-related menstrual pain and improve quality of life. A multicenter randomized trial found greater improvement in painful periods and pain duration with acupuncture than with sham treatment during a 12-week course.

Endometriosis Can Affect More Than the Menstrual Cycle

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic condition that can affect many aspects of a woman’s life. Painful periods, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse and fatigue can interfere with work, exercise, relationships and daily activities. Endometriosis can also occur alongside fertility concerns.

Conventional treatment may include hormonal therapy, pain medication or surgery, depending on the individual patient. Researchers have also studied acupuncture as a non-drug approach to managing endometriosis-related pain and improving quality of life. Two studies published in 2023 help clarify what the evidence shows.

Key Takeaways

• A multicenter randomized trial involving 106 women found greater improvement in menstrual pain, pain duration and several wellbeing and quality-of-life measures with acupuncture than sham during 12 weeks of treatment.

• A systematic review of 6 randomized studies and 331 participants found an overall pooled direction favoring acupuncture for pelvic pain and menstrual pain.

• No serious adverse events were reported in the multicenter trial.

• These studies evaluated pain and quality of life, not pregnancy, implantation or live birth outcomes.

What Did the Multicenter Randomized Trial Study?

In 2023, Fertility and Sterility published Efficacy of Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Associated Pain: A Multicenter Randomized Single-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

The study included 106 women ages 20–40 with endometriosis-associated pain across four tertiary hospitals. Participants were randomly assigned to acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Treatment lasted 12 weeks, followed by another 12 weeks of observation.

Researchers evaluated menstrual pain, duration of dysmenorrhea, other forms of pelvic pain, emotional wellbeing, pain-related function and endometriosis-related quality of life.

What Happened to Menstrual Pain?

The clearest result involved dysmenorrhea—painful menstruation associated with endometriosis. After 12 weeks, women receiving acupuncture had a significantly greater reduction in dysmenorrhea pain than women receiving sham acupuncture. The duration of pain was also shorter.

For patients whose symptoms are particularly severe around menstruation, these are clinically relevant findings. They describe average treatment-period benefits and do not guarantee an individual response.

What About Quality of Life and Emotional Wellbeing?

Endometriosis is more than a pain score. Recurring pain can affect energy, work or school, exercise, sleep, relationships and emotional wellbeing.

At 12 weeks, the acupuncture group showed greater improvement in several measures of pain-related function, mood, depressive symptoms and endometriosis-related quality of life compared with sham. The broader goal of care is to help patients function and feel better in everyday life.

Did Acupuncture Improve Every Type of Endometriosis Pain?

The randomized trial found the clearest benefit for menstrual pain and pain duration.

Different symptoms may respond differently. Treatment should be individualized around the symptoms that affect each patient most.

What Does the Larger Body of Research Show?

Later in 2023, Integrative Medicine Research published Acupuncture for Endometriosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, by Giese, Kwon and Armour.

The review included 6 randomized studies and 331 participants. Rather than focusing on one trial, it examined the broader randomized evidence on acupuncture for endometriosis.

What Did the Meta-Analysis Find?

The overall pooled direction favored acupuncture for pelvic pain and menstrual pain. Compared with nonspecific acupuncture controls, the review found clinically relevant improvements in overall pelvic pain and menstrual pain.

The evidence remains limited by the small number of studies, differences in treatment and comparison groups, and varying certainty across outcomes. The findings support considering acupuncture as a potential symptom-management option, while further high-quality research is needed.

Two Studies, One Encouraging Direction

The multicenter trial offers a focused comparison with sham acupuncture and found benefits for menstrual pain, pain duration and several quality-of-life outcomes during treatment. The review provides broader context across randomized studies.

The trial is included in the review, so these publications should not be counted as two independent sets of patients. Together, they provide complementary views of an encouraging but still developing evidence base.

What About Fertility?

Endometriosis can occur alongside fertility challenges, but these studies evaluated pain and quality of life—not pregnancy, implantation or live birth rates. They should not be used to claim that acupuncture improves fertility in women with endometriosis.

If you are trying to conceive, care should consider both symptom management and your fertility plan, with coordination among your acupuncturist, gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist when appropriate. For research addressing a different population and reproductive outcomes, see our acupuncture, IVF and diminished ovarian reserve research page. Its findings cannot be assumed to apply to endometriosis.

How May Acupuncture Fit Into Endometriosis Care?

Endometriosis often requires a long-term, individualized approach. Depending on the patient, care may include gynecologic evaluation, hormonal treatment, pain medication, surgery, pelvic-floor rehabilitation, fertility treatment and supportive approaches such as acupuncture.

Learn more about our approach to acupuncture for pain management and our women’s health and fertility acupuncture care. Your symptoms, current medical treatment and reproductive goals help guide an individualized plan.

For appropriate patients, acupuncture may be considered alongside existing care to help manage painful periods, shorten painful episodes, support everyday function and improve quality of life.

When Should Symptoms Be Medically Evaluated?

Severe or progressively worsening pelvic pain, very heavy bleeding, pain with bowel movements or urination, pain with intercourse, difficulty becoming pregnant or significant menstrual changes deserve medical evaluation. Pelvic pain can have several causes. Sudden severe pelvic pain, fainting or pelvic pain with a possible pregnancy warrants urgent medical assessment.

Acupuncture should complement appropriate gynecologic care.

Sara’s Clinical Perspective

Sara K. Palmer, Doctor of Acupuncture

Board Certified Acupuncturist · NCCAOM Diplomate · Certified Senior Member, Obstetrical Acupuncture Association (OBAA)

Sara K. Palmer is a Doctor of Acupuncture and board-certified acupuncturist whose areas of care include women’s health, infertility, pain management, orthopedic conditions, and mental and emotional wellness.

She graduated from the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine and holds national certification as an NCCAOM Diplomate. Sara is also a Certified Senior Member of the Obstetrical Acupuncture Association (OBAA). Her extensive maternity and obstetric acupuncture training focuses on prenatal care, labor preparation and postpartum support. These credentials and specialties follow her current Balance Art practitioner bio.

Sara believes that the health of a mother and baby begins well before conception and is passionate about integrating Eastern and Western medicine to help patients regain physical and mental balance. This broader perspective is relevant for patients whose endometriosis symptoms affect daily life and reproductive planning.

From a clinical standpoint, one meaningful feature of this research is its attention to pain duration, daily function, emotional wellbeing and quality of life alongside pain intensity. The multicenter trial is particularly relevant because it compared acupuncture with sham and found greater improvement in menstrual pain and pain duration during active treatment.

For patients trying to conceive, preparing for IVF or considering future pregnancy, care should be individualized around symptom management and reproductive goals. At Balance Art Acupuncture, Sara’s approach integrates acupuncture with appropriate gynecologic and fertility care. The pain findings discussed here do not establish improved fertility outcomes.

Our Perspective

Research suggests a potential role in managing endometriosis-associated pain, particularly painful menstruation, as part of an individualized and integrative approach.

Practical goals may include fewer painful days, more comfortable daily activity and better wellbeing. A defined course of care and regular reassessment can help determine whether treatment is useful for you.

Considering Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pain?

If painful periods or pelvic pain related to endometriosis affect your daily life, acupuncture may be one supportive option to consider. At Balance Art Acupuncture in Vienna, Virginia, care is individualized around your symptoms, menstrual pattern, health history and reproductive goals, and can be coordinated with gynecologic or fertility treatment when appropriate.

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Balance Art Acupuncture is located at 301 Maple Avenue West, Suite 210, Vienna, VA 22180. We welcome patients from Reston, Tysons Corner, McLean, Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Great Falls and Chantilly in Northern Virginia, as well as Potomac and Bethesda in Maryland, Washington, DC, and surrounding communities. All appointments take place at our Vienna clinic.

Visit our Contact & Directions page to plan your visit, review our insurance information, or learn more about Sara K. Palmer and our practitioners.