Electroacupuncture for postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Purpose: The efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture was compared to those of sham electroacupuncture for the treatment of postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial that recruited 504 women with SUI and randomized 349 postmenopausal women to receive 18 treatment sessions of electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture over 6 weeks, with a 24-week follow-up assessment. Treatment response was defined as a 50% or greater reduction in urine leakage, as measured by a 1-h pad test at week 6.

Results: Of the 349 randomized women, 332 completed the study. The response rate was 61.0% in the electroacupuncture group compared to 18.9% in the sham electroacupuncture group (difference 42.5%; 95% confidence interval, 33.3-51.7; p < 0.001). After 6 weeks of treatment, the mean 72-h urinary incontinence episode frequency, proportion of participants with at least a 50% decrease in mean 72-h incontinence episode frequency, participant-reported SUI severity, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form scores, and participants' self-evaluation of therapeutic effects improved in both groups, with significant between-group differences. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 2.1% of women during the 6-week treatment.

Conclusion: Electroacupuncture may effectively and safely relieve urinary incontinence symptoms and improve quality of life in postmenopausal women with SUI.