Background: An estimated 40 percent of reproductive-age women have some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a collection of disorders associated to menstruation. Physical as well as psychological PMS symptoms are alleviated using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of TENS on acupoints in premenstrual syndrome.
Subjects and methods: fifty virgin adolescent females suffering from premenstrual syndrome aged from 18 to 25 years old with BMI between 25 and 30 kg\m2 were recruited from the gynecology and obstetrics outpatient department at Talkha Central Hospital in Dakahlia, Egypt. They were randomized into two equivalent groups. Group A (n=25) received TENS at neurogenic acupoints three days prior to menstruation until the 4th day of menstruation for three consecutive menstrual cycles seven times per month with a duration of forty minutes each session for three months. Control group (B) (n= 25) was given TENSon sham acupoints daily, 7 sessions per month with duration of 40 min for each session, for 3 months as in group (A). Pain intensity and severity of premenstrual symptoms were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the treatment for all participants in both groups (A & B) using Visual analogue scale and Menstrual Distress Questionnaire.
Results: There was a statistical significant decrease in the mean values of VAS and severity of PMS symptoms post-treatment in both groups (A & B). Moreover, a statistical significant decline was observed between both groups post-treatment in favor of group (A) (p=0.001).
Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that receiving transcutaneous electrical stimulation on acupoints had significant effect in alleviating pain and severity of PMS symptoms in adolescent females.