Condition

Acupuncture for menstrual pain

Many people try acupuncture for period cramps, and it may ease pain about as much as common painkillers for some. The strongest trials haven't clearly beaten a placebo version, so we call it promising, not proven.

How it can help

Many people try it to ease recurring period cramps.
In trials it often eased pain about as much as common painkillers, with fewer side effects.
Acupressure is a low-risk version you can learn to do at home.

What the research shows

Across dozens of trials, acupuncture was linked with less period pain than no treatment, and about as much relief as common painkillers, with fewer side effects.
But the best sham-controlled trials haven't shown a clear, lasting edge over placebo needling.
In one trial without a placebo group, about half to two-thirds of women had a meaningful drop in pain that lasted up to a year.