Acupuncture for emotional symptoms in PCOS: evidence remains uncertain
A review suggested a possible improvement in depression scores compared with drug treatment, but another emotional-symptom scale did not show a statistically significant benefit.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This abstract-based review found a possible advantage for acupuncture over drug treatment on depression scores in people with PCOS. It did not find a statistically significant benefit on the separate SAS emotional-symptom scale. Because the evidence was rated low or very low in certainty, the findings cannot support a firm conclusion about effectiveness.
The authors attributed uncertainty to the poor quality of the included trials. The abstract provides no effect sizes or follow-up durations, limiting interpretation of the reported score changes.
What researchers found
Depression scores (SDS)
Acupuncture versus drug treatment; assessment timing and the size of the score difference were not reported.
What the reported improvement means
The suggested benefit concerned depression scores in a specific clinical population. The abstract does not establish recovery from a depressive disorder, or show that acupuncture improved every emotional outcome that the researchers assessed.
How certain was the evidence?
Evidence for SDS and Ferriman-Gallwey scores was rated low certainty, while evidence for SAS, Rosenfield and body mass index outcomes was rated very low certainty. This leaves substantial uncertainty around both favorable and nonsignificant findings.
The original publication
Efficacy of Acupuncture in Alleviating Negative Emotions in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Lai L, Wu Z, Zhao J et al.
Brain Behav · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41405463
- Record checked
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