Table 3.

Described results on rated pain, health-related quality of life, and additional endometriosis-related variables in the evaluated studies

Outcome variables, type of comparisons of change before–after treatment	Included studies, number of included patients in analysis
	Rubi-Klein et al,43 n=83	Wayne et al,41 n=14	Highfield et al,39 n=2
Rated pain intensity
Within groups	Ratings at the lower half of the scale in the acupuncture group unchanged in placebo group	Ratings at the lower half of the scale in both groups	Decreased rating in both patients
Between groups	Lower levels in acupuncture group as compared to placebo group	No differences between the groups
Rated pain disability
Within groups	Lower rated levels in both groups	–	–
Between groups	No difference when compared after crossover
Rated HRQOL
Within groups	Increased in seven of eight items of	Increased in acupuncture group	–
Between groups	SF36 in both groups	No differences
	Social efficiency, psychological wellbeing higher in acupuncture group than in placebo group
Additional variables	Take home baby rate: 5 (5 of 7) women pregnant women ended their pregnancy successful (group allocation unspecified) Absentee days: decrease in both groups Analgesic intake: decrease in acupuncture group Treatment expectation: rated higher expectation led to more marked decrease of pain intensity (group allocation unspecified)	Perceived stress: decrease in both groups Inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNFα): no within group or between group differences	Social activity and attendance in school activity: increased in both patients

Abbreviations: HRQOL, health-related quality of life; SF36, short form (36); IL, interleukin; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor α.