Effect of eye acupuncture on plasma PGF2α in patients of primary dysmenorrhea

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical curative effect of eye acupuncture therapy on primary dysmenorrhea and the effect on content of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) in peripheral blood of menstrual periods.MethodsOne hundred and ten cases of primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided into an eye acupuncture group (60 cases) and a medication group (50 cases). In the eye acupuncture group, lower-jiao area, liver area, kidney area, heart area and spleen area, etc. were selected according to syndrome differentiation, and the eye acupuncture therapy was applied. In the medication group, 300 mg Ibuprofen sustained release capsule was orally administrated 1–2 days before menstrual onset or when the symptoms appeared, once every 12 hours, for 3–5 days totally, 3 menstrual periods constituting one therapeutic course. The content of PGF2α in peripheral blood, and the curative effects and recurrence 3 and 6 months after treatment were observed.ResultsThree months after treatment, the cured rate was 55.0% (33/60) and the total effective rate was 95.0% (57/60) in the eye acupuncture group, which were superior to those of 34.0% (17/50) and 82.0% (41/50) in the medication group (both P<0.05). According to the following-up after 6 menstrual cycles, the recurrence rate of 9.1% (3/33) in the acupuncture group was significantly lower than that of 35.3% (6/11) in medication group. The contents of PGF2α in peripheral blood of menstrual periods were reduced after treatment in the two groups (both P<0.01).ConclusionThe curative effect of eye acupuncture on primary dysmenorrhea is significant, with the level of PGF2α in peripheral blood of menstrual periods reduced.