CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Obesity
Effect of Electroacupuncture on Metabolic Level and Quality of Life in Patients with Obese Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate electroacupuncture (EA)’s effects on obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients, focusing on body mass index (BMI), endocrine/metabolic indicators (glucose, lipids, sex hormones), reproductive outcomes (menstrual function, endometrial thickness, ovulation), and quality of life (QoL). It also sought to provide evidence for optimizing non-pharmacological PCOS interventions. Methods: A patient- and assessor-blinded, randomized sham-controlled trial enrolled 106 obese PCOS women (18–45 years), randomized to EA or sham EA (SA) groups. The 12-week intervention (24 total sessions: 3/week for Weeks 1–4, 2/week for Weeks 5–8, 1/week for Weeks 9–12) was followed by 12 weeks of follow-up. Primary outcome: BMI change from baseline to Week 12. Secondary outcomes included body composition, glucose/lipid metabolism, sex hormones, reproductive parameters, and Chinese version of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (PCOSQ) scores. Results: Of 106 intention-to-treat participants (mean [SD] age, 27.93 [3.47] years), 104 (98%) completed Week 24 assessments (2 dropouts). EA significantly reduced BMI vs. SA at Week 12 (mean difference [MD], -1.50; 95%CI, -1.83 to -1.17; P<.001), with sustained benefits at Week 24 (MD, -1.58; 95%CI, -2.05 to -1.10; P<.001). EA also improved waist-hip ratio (WHR; Week 12 MD vs. SA, -0.03; P<.001) and body fat mass (BFM; Week 12 MD vs. SA, -2.92; P<.001). For metabolism: EA reduced fasting glucose (MD, -0.30), fasting insulin (MD, -46.03), HOMA-IR (MD, -12.70), total cholesterol (MD, -0.30), triglycerides (MD, -0.44), and LDL-C (MD, -0.30) at Week 12. Prolactin decreased (MD, -109.10), while estradiol showed no significant change (MD, 12.99; 95%CI crossed zero). PCOSQ scores favored EA at all timepoints. No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusion: EA effectively improves weight management, metabolism, and QoL in obese PCOS patients, with BMI and QoL benefits sustained for at least 24 weeks.
Keywords: Electroacupuncture, Metabolic level, obese, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Quality of Life, randomized controlled trial
Received: 12 Oct 2025; Accepted: 11 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 WANG, Fu, Wang, FANG, Xu, LI and Mi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shanshan LI
Yiqun Mi
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