Traditional Chinese Medicine Compared to Hormone Therapy for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) and the Women’s Health Research Unit at the Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) are jointly conducting a study to compare treatments for reducing endometriosis-related pelvic pain. The treatments will be compared Traditional Chinese Medicine and hormone therapy.

You may qualify for the study if you have chronic pelvic pain, are between the ages of 18 – 45, have been diagnosed with endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopy within the past 6 years, and are willing to be randomly assigned to one of these therapies.
You will not qualify for the study if you have ever received Chinese Medicine treatment for endometriosis, if you have not responded to hormone therapy for endometriosis in the past, if you have been on hormone therapy within the past 6 months, or if you are pregnant or are breast feeding.

The study will last up for a total of 36 weeks with treatments for the first 12 weeks and follow-up visits at week 13m week 24 and week 36.

If you qualify for the study, you will be assigned randomly (by chance) to receive on the following treatments:

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) view of endometriosis is one of Qi stagnation in the abdominal area. TCM practitioners use a number of therapies to treat blockages and stagnation, including acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbs.

Hormone Therapy

The most common non-surgical option for endometriosis is hormone therapy. The hormone, nafarelin acetate (Synarel), which is currently available with a prescription in the United States, is a frequently recommended treatment that is conveniently administered as a nasal spray.

For Further Information

If you are interested in additional information or finding out if you qualify for the study, please call Marcia Strickland at the OHSU Women’s Health Research Unit at (503) 494-3666.

More CAM Research at OHSU.