Effectiveness of Dry Cupping Therapy in the Management of Uterine Fibroid: A Case Report

Abstract

Uterine fibroid is considered as the most common pelvic tumor in women during their reproductive years. Symptomatic uterine fibroids can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, anemia, pressure symptoms and fertility issues and also have a significant influence on patient’s quality of life. These are the most common indications for hysterectomy worldwide. We report a 43-year-old woman with abnormal vaginal bleeding and dysmenorrhea due to large size of uterine leiomyoma which was candidate for myomectomy. Due to her virginity she couldn’t undergo uterine surgery. She preferred to use non-surgical treatments and presented to our traditional Persian medicine outpatient clinic. In order to control menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea, dry cupping therapy was recommended to her for three times a week. After a period of two months, dysmenorrhea and vaginal bleeding were decreased noticeably. In addition, a significant reduction in tumor size was observed. This case shows dry cupping therapy can be effective and safe in decreasing fibroid-related symptoms like dysmenorrhea and excess bleeding and also the size of fibroid. It seems that this method can be integrated with current therapeutic approaches. However, further clinical studies need to establish the efficacy and safety of dry cupping therapy for the management of uterine fibroids.