ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2012
Acupuncture with manual and low frequency electrical stimulation as experienced by women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture improves anxiety and depression in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Safety of Acupuncture in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Medical acupuncture · 2025Article
- Experiences of menstrual health in the Nordic countries: a scoping review of qualitative research, applying an intersectional lens.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2024Article
- Underlying mechanisms of acupuncture therapy on polycystic ovary syndrome: Evidences from animal and clinical studies.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Body image concerns in individuals diagnosed with benign gynaecological conditions: scoping review and meta-synthesis.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2021Article
- Understanding polycystic ovary syndrome from the patient perspective: a concept elicitation patient interview study.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2017Article
- Antioxidants and management of polycystic ovary syndrome in Iran: A systematic review of clinical trials.Iranian journal of reproductive medicine · 2015Review
- Acupuncture for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease: a qualitative study of patients' insistence on treatment.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2014Article
- The reasons for using acupuncture for pain relief.Iranian Red Crescent medical journal · 2014Article
- Patients' preconceptions of acupuncture: a qualitative study exploring the decisions patients make when seeking acupuncture.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2013Article
- Mixed Methods in CAM Research: A Systematic Review of Studies Published in 2012.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2013Review
- 'I drew the parts of my body in proportion to how much PCOS ruined them': Experiences of polycystic ovary syndrome through drawings.Health psychology openArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-10 percent of all fertile women and is associated with anovulation/oligoovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries. Pharmacological treatment is often effective but associated with unwanted side effects. Acupuncture treatments have been shown to improve menstrual bleeding patterns and ovulation as well as hyperandrogenism, without side effects. The purpose of the present study was to describe the experience of acupuncture for women diagnosed with PCOS.
methodsEight women with PCOS living in western Sweden, were interviewed following repeated acupuncture treatments. Data was analyzed using systematic text condensation as described by Malterud.
resultsThe experience of acupuncture for women diagnosed with PCOS can be described in five categories; the experience of hope, getting results, feelings of responsibility, skepticism and proof of effect, and feeling normal.
conclusionSince acupuncture is a promising treatment for the symptoms of the common syndrome PCOS, the present study adds to the knowledge base by providing the important experiences of patients receiving the treatment. Acupuncture provides a possibility for patients to gain hope as the treatment shows results. The results show that acupuncture empowers the patients to take responsibility for their future well-being, although they may have been initially skeptical to the treatment. Because the syndrome had affected them for some time, even small changes offered a chance for them to feel that their bodies were capable of normal function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.