A pilot study published in a prestigious gynaecology journal, shows acupuncture to be as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for the management of period pain (dysmenorrhoea). Researchers in Turkey took a group of 35 young women with a diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhoea, and randomly allocated them to receive either drug treatment or acupuncture. After one month of treatment, pain scores in both groups were significantly lower: mean pain score in the acupuncture group had decreased by 69.5%, and that in the drug group by 52.2%.
(A randomized pilot study of acupuncture treatment for primary dysmenorrhea. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, July 2013.)