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Can needles calm Cycle-Linked migraines?
NCT ID NCT07023926
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether electroacupuncture can prevent migraines that strike around a woman's period. The trial enrolls 40 women aged 18 to 45 who have regular cycles and at least three headache days during each menstrual window. Participants receive either real electroacupuncture or a sham version, and the main measure is how many headache days they have per standardized 28-day cycle.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- electroacupuncture, a form of acupuncture that uses a mild electrical current on thin needles placed at specific points
- What this could lead to
- If electroacupuncture works, it could offer women with menstrually related migraine a drug-free way to prevent headaches tied to their cycle.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot trial of 40 women, so any hint of benefit may not hold up in larger studies. Acupuncture carries small risks like soreness or minor bleeding at needle sites, and the placebo effect is hard to rule out.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. meet the diagnostic criteria for MRM according to the ICHD-3, with a documented history of MRM for at least 12 months; 2. have a confirmed diagnosis of migraine by a neurologist; 3. aged 18-45 years; 4. have regular menstrual cycles (28 ± 7 days) with menstruation lasting 3-7 days; 5. have experienced ≥3 headache days during each menstrual cycle (days -2 to +3) and ≥5 total headache days per cycle over the past 3 months and baseline period; migraine attacks must last 4-72 hours without acute medication, or at least 2 hours when treated; 6. have completed a headache diary during the screening period (covering at least one full menstrual cycle), demonstrating good compliance; 7. headache diary data during screening period must meet the ICHD-3 criteria for MRM and fulfill criteria (4) and (5); 8. voluntarily sign the informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. irregular menstrual cycles, defined as cycle length outside the range of 28±7 days or menstruation duration \<3 days or \>7 days; 2. presence of secondary headache disorders, facial neuralgia, or cranial neuralgia; 3. combined with serious primary diseases such as cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, or hematological disorders that may interfere with the treatment protocol, or comorbid neurological conditions such as epilepsy, parkinson's disease, or other central nervous system disorders; 4. headache symptoms caused by other conditions, such as moderate to severe head or neck trauma, perimenstrual infections, intracranial tumors, intracranial infections, endocrine or metabolic disorders; 5. receipt of preventive treatment for headache within 1 month prior to the screening visit; 6. afraid of needles or received acupuncture treatment within 3 months; 7. unwillingness to undergo the study intervention or failure to sign the informed consent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang'anmen Hospital
RECRUITINGBeijing, Beijing Municipality, 100053, China
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