Acupuncture is as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for patients with dysmenorrhoea, Turkish researchers report. In a pilot study, 35 young women with a diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided to receive either NSAID or acupuncture treatment. After one month of treatment, pain scores were significantly lower in both groups. Mean pain scores decreased by 52.2 per cent and 69 per cent in the NSAID and acupuncture groups, respectively.

A randomized pilot study of acupuncture treatment for primary dysmenorrhea. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013 Jul;169(2):292-5)