SynthesisBMJ supportive & palliative care2022
Acupuncture for menstrual migraine: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Determining the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of menstrual migraine: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Acupuncture Therapy as an Evidence-Based Nonpharmacologic Strategy for Comprehensive Acute Pain Care: The Academic Consortium Pain Task Force White Paper Update.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2022Pooled it
- Electroacupuncture for Menstrual-Related Migraine: Protocol for a Multicenter Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- The Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Prophylaxis of Menstrually Related Migraine: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Modulation of temporal and occipital cortex by acupuncture in non-menstrual MWoA patients: a rest BOLD fMRI study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Central Mechanism of Acupuncture Treatment in Patients with Migraine: Study Protocol for Randomized Controlled Neuroimaging Trial.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Determining the Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for the Preventive Treatment of Menstrual Migraine: A Protocol for a PRISMA-Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Chinese herbal medicine for migraine management: A hospital-based retrospective analysis of electronic medical records.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- The Universality of Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Philosophical Survey.Science & education · 2021Article
- Regulatory Effects of Acupuncture on Emotional Disorders in Patients With Menstrual Migraine Without Aura: A Resting-State fMRI Study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectiveIn clinical practice, the evidence of acupuncture used as a treatment for migraine without aura is employed interchangeably to guide treatment for menstrual migraine. However, its effect and safety are not substantiated. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on the frequency and pain intensity of menstrual migraine.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and other two Chinese databases from their inception to 1 May 2019. This study included randomised controlled trials of women with menstrual migraine receiving acupuncture or a valid control. Two reviewers independently completed study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. We combined data with a fixed-effect model in RevMan. Clinical outcomes included migraine frequency and duration, headache intensity, and adverse events.
resultsThirteen studies with 826 subjects were included, 9 of which had data suitable for meta-analyses. Current evidence showed that acupuncture was not superior to sham acupuncture in reducing monthly migraine frequency and duration, average headache intensity, and analgesic use at completion of treatment or follow-up. Pooled data demonstrated a significant improvement in mean headache intensity in the acupuncture group compared with drugs. However, all studies were underpowered and associated with moderate to high risk of bias. No serious adverse event was related to acupuncture treatment.
conclusionsThere is no convincing evidence to support the use of acupuncture in treating menstrual migraine. Acupuncture cannot yet be recommended to patients with menstrual migraine until more solid evidence is produced. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019119337.
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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.