Some complementary therapies may benefit women with chronic pelvic pain, say experts, but there is still a lack of clear evidence, British experts say today.
Around one in six women experiences chronic pelvic pain – intermittent or constant pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis for more than six months. Complementary medicine is often used.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Scientific Advisory Committee looked at the research on acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for health problems linked to chronic pelvic pain.
In an opinion paper published today, the experts outline the findings to date on these approaches to treat diseases linked to chronic pelvic pain.
They state that acupuncture is safe, but that no acupuncture trials have been carried out on chronic pelvic pain specifically. In trials of closely related conditions such as severe period pain, pelvic inflammatory disease and irritable bowel syndrome, acupuncture is a promising but as yet unconfirmed treatment.
"More research is needed in this area," they write, adding that only practitioners registered with one of the major acupuncture associations such as the British Acupuncture Council, the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the British Medical Acupuncture Society should be used.
Regarding Chinese herbal medicine, a review of 39 trials for painful periods again showed promising results compared with painkillers or the oral contraceptive pill. But there are questions about the methods used and numbers of patients in these trials.
The experts also say that only members of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine or the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine should be used.
Lead Author, Professor George Lewith of Southampton University, UK, said: "The current evidence lacks rigour and the available trials are poorly designed and inadequately reported so we can only consider this preliminary evidence."
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