MenopauseNCT00950482
Pilot Study - Impact of Traditional Acupuncture on Menopause
A study testing TA, AA and WC in people with Menopause, run by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 70 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Menopause
- What is being tested?
- TA, AA and WC
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 45 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jan 2009to Feb 2010
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 40 to 70 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Women with menopausal Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) bothersome enough to warrant treatment;
- Minimum of 7 hot flashes per day (on average);
- Age limits: women ages 40-70 who have had at least one missed menstrual cycle or have undergone spontaneous menopause, women of any age who have medically induced menopause, women of any age who have had oophorectomy;
- Informed written consent;
- Ability to follow treatment protocols
Who cannot join
- Concomitant illness with reasonable likelihood of limiting survival to less than one year;
- Current substance abuse (alcohol or drug);
- Pregnancy known, suspected or planned in next year;
- Non-English speaking patients
- Men
- Other concomitant menopause treatment;
Show all 9Show fewer
- Participating in acupuncture treatment or formal psychological stress management program within the last year;
- Participating in another treatment for VMS, unless willing to stop it 4 weeks in advance of participation;
- HIV infection, chronic or active hepatitis or other blood-borne illness.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center
Los Angeles, California, 90048
About this study
Official title: Pilot Study - The Impact of Traditional Acupuncture on Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms, Psychological Stress and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) - Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) Axis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.
This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.
Read more
Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.
Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed in one of the three groups. Neither patients nor the investigators can choose which group patients are assigned to. Patients from TA and AA groups will be asked to come to Cedars-Sinai a total of 39 times (36 sessions and 3 clinic visits) over a three-four month period. It will compare the effects (good or bad) of traditional acupuncture (TA) with alternative acupuncture (AA) on the menopausal symptoms to be studied in this research. Patients from WC group will be asked to come to Cedars-Siani a total of 15 times. Other study procedures include physical exam, blood and urine collection for hormone tests, questionnaire interview, etc.
During the pilot phase of this study subjects will record the number of mild, moderate, severe and/or very severe hot flashes that occur each day in a hot flash diary. There is also an option for patients to record other symptoms they may experience during that week other then hot flashes as well as a place for additional comments. Subjects will complete the diary for seven consecutive days. It is a simple form that takes very little time to complete each day (only 5-10 minutes) and will not impact the duration of the study participation.
No genetic study will be conducted in this pilot project.
Read the detailed description
This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.
This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.
Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.
Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed in one of the three groups. Neither patients nor the investigators can choose which group patients are assigned to. Patients from TA and AA groups will be asked to come to Cedars-Sinai a total of 39 times (36 sessions and 3 clinic visits) over a three-four month period. It will compare the effects (good or bad) of traditional acupuncture (TA) with alternative acupuncture (AA) on the menopausal symptoms to be studied in this research. Patients from WC group will be asked to come to Cedars-Siani a total of 15 times. Other study procedures include physical exam, blood and urine collection for hormone tests, questionnaire interview, etc.
During the pilot phase of this study subjects will record the number of mild, moderate, severe and/or very severe hot flashes that occur each day in a hot flash diary. There is also an option for patients to record other symptoms they may experience during that week other then hot flashes as well as a place for additional comments. Subjects will complete the diary for seven consecutive days. It is a simple form that takes very little time to complete each day (only 5-10 minutes) and will not impact the duration of the study participation.
No genetic study will be conducted in this pilot project.
- Conditions
- Menopause
- Being tested
- TA, AA, WC
- Keywords
- Menopause, Acupuncture, Hotflash
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TAProcedure or surgery
Also called Traditional Acupuncture
In Traditional acupuncture (TA), in which eight acupuncture points are selected, subjects will undergo three 30-minute sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Disposable acupuncture needles (1-1.5 inch sterilized stainless steel)will be inserted up to one inch deep through a plastic needle tube that is secured with adhesive tape to the skin.
AAOther
Also called Alternative Acupuncture
In Alternative acupuncture (AA), in which eight acupuncture points are selected, subjects will undergo three 30-minute sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Disposable acupuncture needles (1-1.5 inch sterilized stainless steel)will be inserted up to one inch deep through a plastic needle tube that is secured with adhesive tape to the skin.
WCOther
Also called Waiting Group
Waiting Group
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| TA | Active comparator | Active TA Receives: Procedure: TA |
| AA | Active comparator | Alternative Acupuncture Receives: Other: AA |
| WC | Active comparator | Waiting Group Receives: Other: WC |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity
vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity
Measured: 3 months
Secondary outcomes (3)
The Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PghSD)
Measured: 60 minutes
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Measured: 30minutes
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Measured: 30 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted31 Jul 2009 (estimated)
- Study startJan 2009
- Primary completionFeb 2010
- Study completionFeb 2010
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for MenopauseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 45 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Noel Bairey Merz, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Investigators
- C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, Principal investigator, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00950482
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB# 16997
- Status last verified
- Apr 2019
- First submitted
- 30 Jul 2009
- Last updated
- 10 Apr 2019
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Publications
Painovich JM, Shufelt CL, Azziz R, Yang Y, Goodarzi MO, Braunstein GD, Karlan BY, Stewart PM, Merz CN. A pilot randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial of traditional acupuncture for vasomotor symptoms and mechanistic pathways of menopause. Menopause. 2012 Jan;19(1):54-61. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31821f9171.
PubMed 21968279
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Apr 2019. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Pilot Study - The Impact of Traditional Acupuncture on Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms, Psychological Stress and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) - Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) Axis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00950482
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB# 16997
- Conditions
- Menopause
- Keywords
- Menopause, Acupuncture, Hotflash
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 45 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jan 2009
- Primary completion
- Feb 2010 (actual)
- Study completion
- Feb 2010 (actual)
- First posted
- 31 Jul 2009 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.
This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.
Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.
Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed in one of the three groups. Neither patients nor the investigators can choose which group patients are assigned to. Patients from TA and AA groups will be asked to come to Cedars-Sinai a total of 39 times (36 sessions and 3 clinic visits) over a three-four month period. It will compare the effects (good or bad) of traditional acupuncture (TA) with alternative acupuncture (AA) on the menopausal symptoms to be studied in this research. Patients from WC group will be asked to come to Cedars-Siani a total of 15 times. Other study procedures include physical exam, blood and urine collection for hormone tests, questionnaire interview, etc.
During the pilot phase of this study subjects will record the number of mild, moderate, severe and/or very severe hot flashes that occur each day in a hot flash diary. There is also an option for patients to record other symptoms they may experience during that week other then hot flashes as well as a place for additional comments. Subjects will complete the diary for seven consecutive days. It is a simple form that takes very little time to complete each day (only 5-10 minutes) and will not impact the duration of the study participation.
No genetic study will be conducted in this pilot project.
Detailed description
This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.
This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.
Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.
Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed in one of the three groups. Neither patients nor the investigators can choose which group patients are assigned to. Patients from TA and AA groups will be asked to come to Cedars-Sinai a total of 39 times (36 sessions and 3 clinic visits) over a three-four month period. It will compare the effects (good or bad) of traditional acupuncture (TA) with alternative acupuncture (AA) on the menopausal symptoms to be studied in this research. Patients from WC group will be asked to come to Cedars-Siani a total of 15 times. Other study procedures include physical exam, blood and urine collection for hormone tests, questionnaire interview, etc.
During the pilot phase of this study subjects will record the number of mild, moderate, severe and/or very severe hot flashes that occur each day in a hot flash diary. There is also an option for patients to record other symptoms they may experience during that week other then hot flashes as well as a place for additional comments. Subjects will complete the diary for seven consecutive days. It is a simple form that takes very little time to complete each day (only 5-10 minutes) and will not impact the duration of the study participation.
No genetic study will be conducted in this pilot project.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| TA | Active comparator | Procedure: TAActive TA |
| AA | Active comparator | Other: AAAlternative Acupuncture |
| WC | Active comparator | Other: WCWaiting Group |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 70 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Women with menopausal Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) bothersome enough to warrant treatment;
- Minimum of 7 hot flashes per day (on average);
- Age limits: women ages 40-70 who have had at least one missed menstrual cycle or have undergone spontaneous menopause, women of any age who have medically induced menopause, women of any age who have had oophorectomy;
- Informed written consent;
- Ability to follow treatment protocols
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Concomitant illness with reasonable likelihood of limiting survival to less than one year;
- Current substance abuse (alcohol or drug);
- Pregnancy known, suspected or planned in next year;
- Non-English speaking patients
- Men
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| TAAlso: Traditional AcupunctureIn Traditional acupuncture (TA), in which eight acupuncture points are selected, subjects will undergo three 30-minute sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Disposable acupuncture needles (1-1.5 inch sterilized stainless steel)will be inserted up to one inch deep through a plastic needle tube that is secured with adhesive tape to the skin. | Procedure or surgery | TA |
| AAAlso: Alternative AcupunctureIn Alternative acupuncture (AA), in which eight acupuncture points are selected, subjects will undergo three 30-minute sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Disposable acupuncture needles (1-1.5 inch sterilized stainless steel)will be inserted up to one inch deep through a plastic needle tube that is secured with adhesive tape to the skin. | Other | AA |
| WCAlso: Waiting GroupWaiting Group | Other | WC |
Primary outcome
vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity
Time frame: 3 months
vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity
3 secondary outcomes
The Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PghSD)
Time frame: 60 minutes
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time frame: 30minutes
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Time frame: 30 minutes
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Apr 2019.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 21968279Painovich JM, Shufelt CL, Azziz R, Yang Y, Goodarzi MO, Braunstein GD, Karlan BY, Stewart PM, Merz CN. A pilot randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial of traditional acupuncture for vasomotor symptoms and mechanistic pathways of menopause. Menopause. 2012 Jan;19(1):54-61. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31821f9171.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD principal investigator
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing TA, AA and WC in people with Menopause, run by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Apr 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00950482, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Apr 2019.