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Sponsored by: |
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) |
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Information provided by: | National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00034047 |
This 36-week study will determine whether traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture and Chinese herbs) is as effective as hormone therapy for alleviating endometriosis-related pelvic pain.
Condition | Intervention | Phase |
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Endometriosis Pelvic Pain |
Procedure: Acupuncture Drug: Chinese Products Drug: Nafarelin |
Phase I Phase II |
Study Type: | Interventional |
Study Design: | Treatment, Randomized, Open Label, Active Control, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study |
Official Title: | Endometriosis : Traditional Medicine vs Hormone Therapy |
Estimated Enrollment: | 50 |
Study Start Date: | September 2002 |
Study Completion Date: | August 2006 |
Primary Completion Date: | August 2006 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
Endometriosis is a significant public health problem affecting 10-15% of women of childbearing age, many of whom suffer persistent pelvic pain and infertility. Therapeutic options include surgery and hormone therapy that are often temporarily effective but produce unwanted side-effects. The present proposal, based on case series reports of the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM: acupuncture and Chinese herbs) for this condition, aims to evaluate whether TCM is as effective as hormone therapy for alleviating endometriosis-related chronic pain.
Women with laparoscopy-diagnosed endometriosis will be randomly assigned to either TCM or hormone therapy. Women assigned to TCM will be divided into four sub-groups on the basis of the diagnostic categories of endometriosis recognized by TCM. A pre-established acupuncture protocol and herbal formula specific for each sub-group will be followed. This aspect of the research design permits an important feature of the clinical practice of TCM (matching treatment to sub-group diagnosis) to be adopted in a clinical trial. Women assigned to hormone therapy will be treated with the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa), nafarelin, chosen for this study on the basis of its clinical trial-established efficacy, ease of patient usage via intranasal spray and milder side-effect profile relative to other GnRHa's. Pelvic pain symptoms (patient-scored) and signs (physician-scored) will be assessed at baseline, after 12 weeks of treatment, and at 12- and 24-week post-treatment follow-up. Pelvic examination scores will be determined by a physician blinded to the treatment group assignments. Side effects, including those of pseudomenopause known to result from GnRHa therapy, will be recorded in both groups at 4-week intervals during the 12-week treatment, and at each follow-up time. A further objective is to make a preliminary assessment of whether diagnostic sub-groups of endometriosis recognized by TCM serve as predictors of differential response to hormone therapy. Data obtained from this study, on treatment effectiveness, side effect profiles, recurrence of symptoms, compliance with therapy and drop-out rates, will be used to design a large-scale clinical trial.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 45 Years |
Genders Eligible for Study: | Female |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
United States, Oregon | |
Oregon Health Sciences University, Women's Health Research Unit | |
Portland, Oregon, United States, 97201 | |
Oregon College of Oriental Medicine Clinic | |
Portland, Oregon, United States, 97216 |
Principal Investigator: | Richard Hammerschlag, PhD | Oregon College of Oriental Medicine |
Principal Investigator: | Kenneth Burry, MD | Oregon Health and Science University |
Study ID Numbers: | R21 AT000453-01 |
Study First Received: | April 19, 2002 |
Last Updated: | January 23, 2008 |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00034047 |
Health Authority: | United States: Federal Government |
Endometriosis Pelvic pain Acupuncture |
Chinese herbs Hormone therapy Nafarelin |
Genital Diseases, Female Signs and Symptoms Nafarelin Pelvic Pain |
Endometriosis Pain Marijuana Abuse |
Therapeutic Uses Fertility Agents, Female Physiological Effects of Drugs |
Fertility Agents Reproductive Control Agents Pharmacologic Actions |