An interventional study of Acupuncture in Vulvodynia and Chronic Pelvic Pain, sponsored by Medical University of Graz. Completed at 1 site in Austria. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-20.
Sponsored by Medical University of Graz · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Background: Vulvodynia and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are common and challenging gynecologic pain syndromes. A multidisciplinary approach is recommended.
Study aim: To study the effectiveness of acupuncture as part of a multimodal treatment for women with vulvodynia and CPP.
Design: Randomised controlled clinical study
Study Population: Recruitment from a University outpatient clinic Study groups: Participants will be randomised (1:1)
Sample size: 68 patients
Study outcome
106 studies on the registry are indexed under Vulvodynia; 21 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 45 is close to the median of 44 across 79 interventional studies indexed under Vulvodynia.
Browse Vulvodynia studies →Medical University of Graz is the lead sponsor of 459 studies on the registry; 98 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Acupuncture treatment will be performed according to a defined protocol, and includes body and ear acupuncture. The needles will be stimulated manually and will remain for 20 minutes. Body acupuncture needles (diameter 0.3mm, length 30 mm) will be placed on the following positions: On the lower abdomen and back within Th11 and L1 * Kidney 13 and 14; alternately unilaterally * Ren2 and 3 (midline) On classical acupuncture points on the extremities and the head * Stomach 36, Spleen 6; bilaterally * Large intestine 4, Liver 3; Bladder 60 bilaterally * Du 20 (midline) Ear acupuncture: Ear acupuncture needles (diameter 0,2 mm, length 20mm) will be used: Veg. I (Sympathetic), lower pelvis, hypogastric plexus, Heart,Thalamus, genital system (combining Chinese and French ear acupuncture) For point detection an electric potentiometer will be used. Ear points are punctured according to their generally accepted positions.
Procedure: Acupuncture
Participants allocated to the waiting list control group may continue previously initiated standard therapy, but must not initiate any new treatment. They will be asked not to undergo acupuncture treatment for any condition within the next 3 months. After this period they are offered 10 acupuncture treatments over a period of 3 months.
Acupuncture treatment will be performed according to a defined protocol, and includes body and ear acupuncture.
Change of Subjective Pain Perception
Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain)
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Change of Health-related quality of life - DSF
Questionnaire,German Pain Assessment (Deutscher Schmerzfragebogen/DSF). The modules on pain assessment (e.g. pain characteristics, relieving and aggravating factors) and on demographic information will be used.
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Change of Health-related quality of life - PHQ-D
Questionnaire Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-D) 9 is a sensitive screening tool for detecting depressive symptoms in a general patient population
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Change of Health-related quality of life - PSQ
Questionnaire Pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ) is an instrument for the assessment of pain sensitivity based on pain intensity self ratings of daily life situations
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Change of Health-related quality of life - EHP-30
Questionnaire Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-30) contains a total of 30 items. The modular part consists of six scales (work, relationship with children, sexual intercourse, infertility, medical profession, and treatment) and contains a total of 23 items. Items within scales are summed to create a raw score, and then each scale is translated into a score ranging from 0 (best health status) to 100 (worst health status)
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Change of Subjective improvement
Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale is a ), a single item instrument with a 7-step Likert type response scale to assess subjective improvement after treatment
Time frame: evaluation at 3 and 6 months
Patient treatment satisfaction
"Fragebogen zur Patientenzufriedenheit - ZUF8" is an 8-item tool for measuring global patient satisfaction
Time frame: evaluation at 3 months
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Medical University of Graz