Herbal Medicine for Dysmenorrhea: Pain and Analgesic Use Outcomes from a Korean Registry

A prospective observational registry study from July 2022 to June 2023 enrolled 135 women with dysmenorrhea from 34 traditional Korean medicine sites in Korea. The data, authored by Soo-Hyun Sung, compares a group receiving traditional herbal decoctions against a control group, tracking changes in pain intensity, duration, and analgesic consumption. Results suggest potential associations between herbal treatment and reduced pain and medication use, though the study notes limitations including a small control group.

Use Cases

• Compare pain intensity reduction between treatment and control groups based on Numeric Rating Scale scores.
• Analyze changes in analgesic tablet consumption per menstrual cycle mentioned in the study methods.
• Assess the duration of menstrual pain as a clinical outcome measure.
• Examine safety profiles by monitoring the incidence and resolution of adverse events reported.

Strengths

• Data originates from a multicenter prospective observational study involving 34 clinical sites.
• Includes results from 135 completed participant cases (119 in treatment, 16 in control).
• Employs statistical methods like difference-in-differences analysis with inverse probability of treatment weighting to address bias.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The control group is notably small (16 participants), constraining comparative safety conclusions as noted in the study.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Soo-Hyun Sung

Collection Method

Multicenter, prospective observational registry study.

Time Range

July 2022 to June 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-20 05:50:30; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Korea (33 traditional Korean medicine clinics and one hospital)