Effectiveness of electro-press needle for menopause-associated hot flashes: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Hot flashes are one of the most disruptive symptoms of menopause, affecting up to 85% of women between the ages of 40 and 65. They can interrupt sleep, cause embarrassment, and significantly reduce quality of life. Now, researchers are investigating a promising new acupuncture-based treatment that may help bring relief.

A clinical trial registered in 2021 is studying a technique called electro-press needle (EPN) therapy for menopausal hot flashes. EPN is a innovative approach that combines a small, shallow needle with a gentle electrical stimulation device worn on the skin. Think of it as a two-in-one treatment — the tiny needle and the mild electrical pulse work together to potentially calm the body's overheated response.

In this study, 122 women experiencing moderate to severe hot flashes are being randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group receives EPN treatment three times per week for six weeks — 18 sessions in total. The other group waits without any intervention for the first six weeks. All participants are then followed for an additional 24 weeks to see how long any benefits last.

Researchers are looking at whether participants experience at least a 50% reduction in their daily hot flashes by week six. They are also tracking how often hot flashes occur, how severe they feel, and how menopause is affecting overall quality of life using established rating scales.

While this is a protocol study — meaning it describes the planned research rather than final results — it reflects growing scientific interest in acupuncture as a drug-free option for managing menopausal symptoms. For women who cannot or prefer not to use hormone therapy, treatments like EPN could become an important alternative.

If you are interested in exploring acupuncture for menopause symptoms, speak with a licensed and experienced acupuncture practitioner who can tailor treatment to your individual needs.

This registered RCT (NCT04995107) evaluates electro-press needle (EPN) therapy — a hybrid modality combining intradermal needling with transcutaneous electrical stimulation — for moderate-to-severe menopause-associated hot flashes. The two-arm waitlist-controlled trial enrolls 122 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (1:1 block randomization). The intervention arm receives 18 EPN sessions over 6 weeks; the control arm receives no intervention during this period, followed by a 24-week follow-up for all participants. The primary endpoint is the proportion of participants achieving ≥50% reduction in 24-hour mean hot flash frequency at Week 6. Secondary outcomes include hot flash score, frequency, severity, Menopause Rating Scale, and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Limitations include single-center design, absence of placebo control, and inability to blind practitioners or patients. Clinically, this trial may provide quantifiable evidence supporting EPN as a non-pharmacological intervention for vasomotor symptoms in menopausal patients.