Clinical Study on the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea with Preconditioning Acupuncture

<正>Objective:To observe the therapeutic effect of preconditioning acupuncture(PA) on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.Methods:Eighty patients suffered from primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned on the ratio of 1:1:2 into three groups,20 in Group A,20 in Group B,and 40 in Group C.Group A and B were treated with PA and immediate acupuncture(IA),respectively,while Group C received no acupuncture treatment and be taken as a blank control.The treatment was lasted for three menstrual cycles.The therapeutic effects were observed and compared.Results:Comparing the scores of the symptoms in the different groups, the therapeutic effect in different groups showed that the symptom scores in Group A at the second and third cycle of treatment,as well as at the first and third cycle of follow-up,were significantly lower than the scores in Group B,respectively(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the duration of symptoms was shorter in Group A than in Group B at the third cycle of treatment and the first and third cycle of follow-up(P<0.05).Symptom scores in Groups A and B in the treatment and follow-up periods were all lowered as compared to those before treatment(P<0.01), and the scores were also lower than those in Group C measured at corresponding times(P<0.01).Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of PA,either the short-term or the long-term effect,was superior to that of IA in treating dysmenorrhea.