Objective To observe the effect of abdominal acupuncture on the endocrine and metabolic level in obesity-type polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients. Methods Eighty-six PCOS patients were randomly and equally divided into medication group and abdominal acupuncture group.Patients of medication group were treated with metformin (250 mg/time

t. i. d. in the 1 st week

and 500 mg/time

t. i. d. thereafter) for 6 months

and those of abdominal acupuncture group were treated by abdominal acupuncture [Zhongwan (CV 12)

Liangmen (ST 21)

etc.

once daily for 6 months]. Changes of the body height

body Mass index (BMI)

waist-hip ratio (WHR)

Ferriman-Galleey score (FGS)

menstrual frequency (MF) and ovarian volume (OV) were determined. Serum luteotrophic hormone (LH)

free testosterone (T)

follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) contents were detected with radioimmunoassay.Fasting blood glucose (FBG)

fasting insulin (FIN)

total cholesterol (TC)

triglyceride (TG)

low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)

high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)

Homa insulin resistance index (IRI) were detected with chromatometry respectively. Results After the treatment

BMI

WHR

FGS and OV were reduced significantly in both medication and abdominal acupuncture groups ( P<0.05 )

while MF of the two groups increased evidently ( P<0.05 )

and the effects of abdominal acupuncture group were significantly superior to those of medication group in down-regulating BMI

WHR and upregulating MF ( P<0.05 ). Regarding the reproductive hormons

serum LH

LH/FSH and T levels in the two groups decreased significantly ( P<0.05 )

and the effect of abdominal acupuncture was superior to that of medication group in reducing serum T level ( P<0.05 ). Following the treatment

FBG

BG and FIN and INS contents 2 h after meal

and Homa IR in both medication and abdominal acupuncture groups all decreased considerably ( P<0.05 )

but without significant differences between them ( P>0.05 ). Regarding the blood lipid levels after the treatment

serum TC

TG

and LDL-C levels of the two groups decreased significantly ( P<0.05 )

while serum HDL-C level increased remarkably ( P<0.05 )

without significant differences between the two groups in these indexes ( P>0.05 ). Conclusion Abdominal acupuncture treatment can improve the endocrine and metabolic function of patients with obesity-type PCOS.