Abstract
BackgroundDysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint in adolescent and young females. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of Shaofu Zhuyu (SFZY) decoctions as treatments for primary dysmenorrhea.Methods/designFifteen (four English, seven Korean, three Chinese, and one Japanese) databases will be searched from their inception without a language restriction. These include PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, seven Korean Medical Databases (Korean Studies Information, DBPIA, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Research Information Service System, KoreaMed, The Town Society of Science Technology, and the Korean National Assembly Library), three Chinese Medical Databases [the Chinese Medical Database (CNKI), Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and WanFang Database], and one Japanese Database (J global). Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) included those that examined an SFZY decoction or a modified SFZY decoction. The control groups include no treatment, placebo, and medication. Trials testing a combination of SFZY decoction and medication compare to the same medication alone will be also included. Data extraction and risk of bias assessments will be performed by two independent reviewers. All statistical analyses will be conducted using Review Manager software (RevMan V.5.3.0). Methodological quality will be assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool.DiscussionThis systematic review will provide a detailed summary of the available evidence testing the effects of SFZY decoctions for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. The review will benefit patients and practitioners in the fields of traditional and complementary medicine.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42015016386
Highlights
Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint in adolescent and young females
This systematic review will provide a detailed summary of the available evidence testing the effects of Shaofu Zhuyu (SFZY) decoctions for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea
The aim of this study is to systematically review the available literature regarding the efficacy of SFZY decoctions in treating primary dysmenorrhea
Summary
Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint in adolescent and young females. Description of the condition Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint in adolescent and young females. Dysmenorrhea is characterized by lower abdominal pain that occurs during menstruation [1]. Different types of studies have found a consistently high prevalence of dysmenorrhea in women of different ages and nationalities with an estimated prevalence ranging from 45 to 97 % [2]. Ten percent of these women suffer from symptoms severe enough to render them incapacitated for 1 to 3 days each menstrual cycle [3]. In the USA alone, it was estimated that in the mid-1980s, 600 million hours were lost from work, which led to an economic loss of two billion dollars; in today’s dollars, this figure would be much higher [5]
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