Table 1.

Search strategy used in PubMed database.

No.	Search terms
#1	“Perimenopause”[Mesh]
#2	((((((menopaus∗[tiab]) OR Perimenopausal[tiab]) OR premenopaus∗[tiab]) OR postmenopaus∗[tiab]) OR climacteri∗[tiab]) OR involution∗[tiab]) OR midlife[tiab]
#3	#1 OR #2
#4	“Depression”[Mesh]
#5	((depressi∗[tiab]) OR melancholia∗[tiab]) OR blue[tiab]
#6	#4 OR #5
#7	#3 AND #6
#8	“Acupuncture”[Mesh]
#9	((((electro?acupuncture[tiab]) OR needl∗[tiab]) OR acupoint∗[tiab]) OR acupuncture point∗[tiab]) OR ∗acupuncture[tiab]
#10	#8 OR #9
#11	(clinical[tiab] AND trial[tiab]) OR “clinical trials as topic”[mesh] OR “clinical trial”[pt] OR random∗[tiab] OR “random allocation”[mesh] OR “therapeutic use”[sh]
#12	#7 AND #10 AND #11