Judith M Schlaeger, Marie L Suarez, Jennifer E Glayzer, William H Kobak, Monya Meinel, Alana D Steffen, Larisa A Burke, Heather A Pauls, Yingwei Yao, Miho Takayama, Hiroyoshi Yajima, Ted J Kaptchuk, Nobuari Takakura, David Foster, Diana J Wilkie
Background: Vulvodynia, vulvar pain of unknown origin lasting at least 3 months, affects 7% of American women. Dyspareunia, its frequent companion, renders sexual intercourse virtually impossible. Although few therapies are efficacious and rapid pain relief is rarely possible, there have been no sham/placebo-controlled studies of acupuncture for vulvodynia. Aims are to: 1) determine efficacy of acupuncture for vulvodynia, 2) explore duration of the acupuncture effect. Methods: In a pretest/posttest randomized controlled, double-blind (practitioner-patient) efficacy trial of a standardized acupuncture protocol, we will randomize 80 participants 1:1 to either penetrating needle or skin-touch placebo needle groups...
December 2022: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications