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Acupuncture for PCOS
(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Getting back in sync
Acupuncture for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can help with a range of unwanted symptoms that the syndrome can bring. PCOS symptoms are surprisingly common. They vary a lot from one woman to another, but you may experience:
ovarian
cysts
scanty or absent periods
(although they can also be heavy)
weight gain
a tendency to blood sugar
instability
depression
bad skin
excess body hair
Your menstrual cycle effectively gets 'stuck' in the first (follicular) half of the cycle. Ovarian follicles grow, creating the fluid-filled cysts, but none reaches the stage where it gets ahead of the others and releases an egg so that the cycle can come to its monthly conclusion.
PCOS is usually diagnosed from the presence of some or all of the symptoms above combined with an ultrasound scan showing your cysts and/or a blood test showing raised testosterone levels. Acupuncture aims to clear the obstructive effect of the cysts on your menstrual cycle, restoring a well-balanced monthly flow and reducing the other effects across your mind and body.
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Case study |
"Acupuncture was recommended to me by my chiropractor, who was treating me for back and neck problems brought on by being stuck at my desk. I found Jessica through a web search for local practitioners. Jessica ran through an extensive questionnaire with me and identified several conditions that she could help with. My neck and back symptoms started to ease after my first treatment, and subsequent sessions, together with my chiropractor, have finally seen the end of almost constant pain. The two approaches to treating the symptoms have really complemented each other and have ensured a speedy recovery from a long-term problem. Of all of my conditions/ailments, the treatments to ease the symptoms of PCOS have had the most incredible results. My PCOS caused extremely heavy and painful periods which have always been part of an unusually long cycle. After just 2 treatments, Jessica had eased the pain enough that I didn't need painkillers, and had reduced my cycle to a regular 28 days, not to mention eased or eradicated many other PCOS-related symptoms. I can't recommend this treatment highly enough! Jessica takes an extremely professional and warm approach to her treatments. She's very keen to ensure you understand how acupuncture works, and is very patient when asked the same questions over and over. If you're after a friendly and holistic approach to your health, look no further." A project director in her 30s
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Research |
A 2003 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO)(1) found that polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the conditions "for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed."
Meanwhile a review(2) by the British Medical Journal described acupuncture as "very safe" when practiced by an appropriately-qualified practitioner.
The modern evidence base for acupuncture is incomplete, and this is true for a great many areas of conventional medicine too. The Clinical Evidence website of the British Medical Journal tells us that of the 2,500 conventional medical treatments their databases cover, 46% are of unknown effectiveness (as at October 2009)(4).
Jessica continues to witness the benefits of acupuncture for many people in her work, utilising the knowledge and practice of Chinese medicine built up over thousands of years. She's happy that more and more modern scientific research is being done into acupuncture, helping to bring it to a wider audience.
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Treatment
Generally with acupuncture the ideal is to start out with weekly treatments, and then to spread these out further apart once you're experiencing improvement in your symptoms. It's best to think in terms of at least 4-6 treatments. With problems affecting the monthly cycle, it can often take 2-3 months for the results to become fully clear, so a typical minimum number of treatments is often a little higher, for example 6-10, spread over 2-3 months, and the improvements are generally worth waiting for.
Contact Jessica
Each of us responds differently to
acupuncture. Do
get in touch to discuss whether
acupuncture is likely to be right for you, or to make an appointment.
Other conditions
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health problems, click below to find out more:
Detailed references
(1) http://www.acupuncture-schools.us/national-institute-health-nih-acupuncture.cfm, referring to World Health Organisation (2002). Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial, see http://apps.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=93&codcch=196
(2) Rampes (2001). The safety of acupuncture. British Medical Journal 2001;323(7311):467 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.467, see http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/323/7311/467
(3) From the 'About Us' area of the Clinical Evidence BMJ website, page titled 'How much do we know', http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp. Extract at Oct 2009: "So what can Clinical Evidence tell us about the state of our current knowledge? What proportion of commonly used treatments are supported by good evidence, what proportion should not be used or used only with caution, and how big are the gaps in our knowledge? Of around 2500 treatments covered 13% are rated as beneficial, 23% likely to be beneficial, 8% as trade off between benefits and harms, 6% unlikely to be beneficial, 4% likely to be ineffective or harmful, and 46%, the largest proportion, as unknown effectiveness"
© Jessica Kennedy 2005-09, all rights reserved