Abstract
BackgroundWomen with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have symptoms of depression and anxiety and impaired health related quality of life (HRQoL). Here we test the post-hoc hypothesis that acupuncture and exercise improve depression and anxiety symptoms and HRQoL in PCOS women.MethodsSeventy-two PCOS women were randomly assigned to 16 weeks of 1) acupuncture (n = 28); 2) exercise (n = 29); or 3) no intervention (control) (n = 15). Outcome measures included: change in Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S), Brief Scale for Anxiety (BSA-S), Swedish Short-Form 36 (SF-36), and PCOS Questionnaire (PCOSQ) scores from baseline to after 16-week intervention, and to 16-week post-intervention follow-up.ResultsA reduction in MADRS-S and BSA-S from baseline to 16-weeks post-intervention follow-up was observed for the acupuncture group. The SF-36 domains role physical, energy/vitality, general health perception and the mental component of summary scores improved in the acupuncture group after intervention and at follow-up. Within the exercise group the role physical decreased after treatment, while physical functioning and general health perception scores increased at follow-up. The emotion domain in the PCOSQ improved after 16-weeks of intervention within all three groups, and at follow-up in acupuncture and exercise groups. At follow-up, improvement in the infertility domain was observed within the exercise group.ConclusionThere was a modest improvement in depression and anxiety scores in women treated with acupuncture, and improved HRQoL scores were noted in both intervention groups. While not a primary focus of the trial, these data suggest continued investigation of mental health outcomes in women treated for PCOS.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00484705
Highlights
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have symptoms of depression and anxiety and impaired health related quality of life (HRQoL)
There were no baseline differences between the groups regarding anxiety and depression scores; MADRS-S and BSA-S (Table 2)
At 32 week follow-up, improvement in the infertility domain was observed within the exercise group and delta change differed from that in the control group (Table 4)
Summary
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have symptoms of depression and anxiety and impaired health related quality of life (HRQoL). We test the post-hoc hypothesis that acupuncture and exercise improve depression and anxiety symptoms and HRQoL in PCOS women. Acupuncture with manual stimulation [18,19] and electrical stimulation of low-frequency, i.e. electro-acupuncture has been shown to be effective in the treatment of major depression disorder in women without PCOS [20,21,22,23], and in women with depression during pregnancy [24,25] and post partum [26]. In women with PCOS, both a standardized acupuncture protocol with manual and electrical stimulation of low-frequency and physical exercise has been demonstrated to result in more regular menses and decrease hyperandrogenemia [27]. Acupuncture improved HRQoL assessed by the short-form 36 (SF-36) in patients with chronic pain conditions, such as dysmenorrhea [30] and pain from osteoarthritis [31]
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