ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome (PMS). Methods Clinical randomized controlled trial literature about electroacupuncture and HRT for the treatment of PMS in CNKI, Wanfang database, CBM, Chongqing Weipu, PubMed and Cochrane Library from establishment of the databases to 28thof January 2017 was retrieved by computers. Two researchers screened out data and extracted materials quality. Qualities of the literature were assessed by relevant standards in the Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0. Meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan5.3 software. Results 6 articles with 457 participants met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Meta-analysis showed that during the treatment or the follow-up period of 6 months, there was no significant difference in the improvement of serum E2and Kupperman scores between the electroacupuncture and HRT. With the prolongation of treatment time, electroacupuncture showed superiority over HRT in depressing the level of serum FSH [MD=-5.93, 95%CI (-9.90, -1.96), P=0.003], with statistical significance. During the treatment period, the electroacupuncture group had fewer adverse reactions. Conclusion Electroacupuncture can effectively treat PMS, with similar efficacy as HRT, and with good safety, which can provide references for clinic. However, the quality of included studies is generally low, yet more large sample, multicenter, high-quality clinical RCTs are needed for further validation.