A systematic review by university research teams in Australia and China, suggests acupuncture alone or combined with standard care, is associated with significant improvements in perimenopausal depression. A total of 25 randomised controlled trials, involving 2213 women, were examined. The benefits of acupuncture were maintained at 2, 4 and 12 week follow-ups.
The team concludes that in comparison with standard care, acupuncture alone or combined with standard care was associated with significant improvements in depression and reductions of other menopausal symptoms. This finding suggests that acupuncture may be a useful addition to treatment.
(Acupuncture as an Independent or Adjuvant Management to Standard Care for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 28 May 2021.)