The Effects of Acupressure on Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Menopause is a life cycle in which women transition from the reproductive age to the age when reproducibility is deteriorated due to the decline in ovarian functions. This study was conducted to determine the effect of acupressure on menopausal symptoms as an experimental randomized trial with a post-test control group. The study was carried out with 108 females who presented to a family health center for any reason between September 2019 and February 2020. Data in the study were collected using a Participant Information Form and Menopause Symptoms Rating Scale (MSRS). Women in the acupressure group were administered a total of 16 acupressure applications for 8 weeks. During the study, no intervention was applied to the women in the control group. In the study, mean MSRS scores of women in the acupressure group after the intervention were lower than the ones in the control group, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). In the study, it was found that acupressure was effective in reducing the severity of menopausal symptoms.