Purpose : Recently, it has been reported that insulin resistance was revealed among non-PCOS women with ovulation disorder. There have been many relevant reports so far that glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism were improved by acupuncture therapy. In this research, therefore, it was examined if acupuncture therapy is effective for glucose metabolism or menstrual cycle disorder of women with ovulation disorder.
Method : We had thirty three adult female measured their basal body temperature (BBT) for three months. Six of them whose BBT showed a normal menstrual cycle were put into a control group, and seven who didn’t show the high temperature phase were put into an abnormal group. Each group was given 75g of glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and their blood glucose level and insulin level were compared. Also, the abnormal group had acupuncture therapies for about a year, and their menstrual cycle, blood glucose level and serum insulin level were compared between before and after the series of therapies.
Results : The comparison of the blood glucose level at 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes and serum insulin level at 120 minutes between the control group and the abnormal group showed that they were significantly higher in the abnormal group. (The blood glucose level at 30 minutes : 113±16.0 mg/dl vs. 142.4±22.0 mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 60 minutes : 91.6±21.2 mg/dl vs. 128.2±47.9 mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 120 minutes : 84.1±9.1 mg/dl vs. 123.2±32.6mg/dl, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 120 minutes : 35.3±14.5 μU/ml vs. 55.0±17.5μU/ml, p<0.01) The comparison between before and after the therapies of the abnormal group showed that they were significantly lower at the blood glucose level at 30 minutes, 120 minutes and serum insulin level at 30 minutes, 120 minutes. (The blood glucose level at 30 minutes : 142.4±22.0 mg/dl vs. 119.8±26.6mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 120 minutes : 123.2±32.6 mg/dl vs. 94.2±18.7 mg/dl, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 30 minutes : 74.2±50.0μU/ml vs. 54.5±29.1μU/ml, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 120 minutes : 55.0±17.5μU/ml vs. 37.3±13.3μU/ml, p<0.05) The number of days of menstmal cycle became significantly shorter and the high temperature phase became significantly longer after the series of therapies. (Cycle : 110.8±124.7 days vs. 37.7±13.0 days, p<0.03, number of days of high temperature : 0 days vs. 7.5±4.5 days, p<0.03)
Conclusion : It was suggested that acupuncture has a possibility to work effectively for improving glucose metabolism disorder and menstrual cycle for women with ovulation disorder.