CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP WITH THE PAIN & DISCOMFORT ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS? by Sue Whalley-Lloyd

 

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP WITH THE PAIN & DISCOMFORT ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS? – here Sue Whalley-Lloyd; Integrated TCM/Five Element Acupuncturist shares her experience and knowledge.

“The Sunday Times (1March 2026) suggested that here in the U.K. it is taking around 8 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis and even longer to receive treatment. So is there anything else you can do if you suspect the pelvic and/or menstrual pain you are suffering from is indeed endometriosis or you have been diagnosed with this and are waiting for treatment?

Firstly it is important to appreciate that this is an oestrogen-dependent disease affecting women of childbearing age (Ref 1) with endometrial tissue typically found on the ovaries, uterus, bowel, colon, fallopian tubes, and appendix but it can also be found elsewhere such as around the bladder, lungs and diaphragm. This means that your symptoms of pain can be in multiple locations and will be linked to and increase through your menstrual cycle and generally peak just before you start your period.

A recent systematic review (Ref 2) covering six studies and 331 participants that researched the use of acupuncture to alleviate the pain experienced with endometriosis found ‘clinically significant improvements’ in pelvic and menstrual pain with low rates of adverse events. Because of this finding the recommendation was that ‘Acupuncture should be considered as a potential treatment intervention’ (ref2).

So if you are suffering debilitating pelvic and menstrual pain, then think about booking in with me for a full diagnosis and treatment plan and see if Acupuncture can indeed work for you and reduce the pain you are experiencing. It may be that you are also wishing to become pregnant. If this is the case, then it is important to identify whether surgical treatment should be prioritised, if Acupuncture will be able to support Natural Fertility or if it is best to go straight to using Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)(Ref 3). If you would like to discuss your options then please contact me either through the clinic or directly.”

Sue Whalley-Lloyd 07929 846399
MBAcC, MAFN, LicAc, BSc Hons (Integrated TCM/Five Element Acupuncture), PhD

Sue is available at the Bridge Centre on a Monday & Wednesday to find out more call Sue directly on the number above or speak to the Bridge Team on 01332 521 270

References

Ref 1- Szmelskyj I & Aquilina L (2015) Acupuncture for IVF and Assisted Reproduction pp203-204

Ref 2- Giese N, Kyung Kwon K, Armour M (2023) Acupuncture for Endometriosis:a systematic review in Integrative Medicine Research Vil.12, issue 4, Dec 2023

Ref 3- Szmelskyj I & Aquilina L (2015) Acupuncture for IVF and Assisted pp.205-206