The effect of auricular acupressure on quality of life in postmenopausal women: a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE

With the decline in the average age of menopause, increased life expectancy and rising longevity among women, a significant number face menopausal challenges including physical and psychological symptoms that adversely affect their quality of life (QoL). Given the growing preference for complementary therapies over menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and promising evidence on auricular acupressure, this study aimed to investigate its effect on QoL in postmenopausal women.

METHOD: The randomized sham-controlled clinical trial enrolled 120 eligible postmenopausal women visiting comprehensive health centers in Qazvin, Iran, between February and August 2024. Participants were randomized into intervention (n = 60) or sham (n = 60) groups using the balanced blocks randomization method. The intervention group received auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seed-embedded tapes on specific points (Chinese/European uterine, ovary, Shenmen, brain, gonadotropin and sympathetic points) over 10 sessions (4-day intervals). Participants were instructed to apply moderate pressure to each point for 20 s, three times daily. The sham group followed an identical protocol but used non-seeded tapes. Data were collected using demographic/fertility questionnaires and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), assessing vasomotor, physical, psychosocial and sexual domains (lower scores indicate improved QoL). QoL was evaluated at baseline, 1 month post intervention and 2 months post intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance-analysis of covariance (SPSS version 27, α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Baseline QoL scores did not differ significantly between groups. Post intervention, the intervention group showed statistically significant reductions in total QoL scores and all subscales at 1-month and 2-month follow-ups (p < 0.05). Mean differences for intervention versus sham groups in the first and second follow-ups were -28.50, -48.87 for total QoL; -2.36, -5.92 for vasomotor subscale; -2.55, -9.75 for psychosocial subscale; -10.89, -28.41 for physical subscale; and -1.62, -4.78 for sexual subscale. Based on η2-values, auricular acupressure explained 63.4% of total QoL variance, and 61.6% (vasomotor), 39.9% (psychosocial), 66.2% (physical), and 42.4% (sexual) for the subscales.

CONCLUSION

Auricular acupressure significantly improved overall QoL and all specific domains (physical, psychosocial, vasomotor, sexual) in postmenopausal women. Healthcare providers may consider this non-pharmacological therapy particularly for MHT-ineligible patients to alleviate menopausal symptoms and enhance QoL. Some limitations such as potential social desirability bias from self-reported measures, the lack of objective biomarkers due to budget limits and unevaluated confounding factors related to living conditions highlight the need for future research with multimodal assessments.