Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background aim: Menopause is associated with early and late complications that affect menopausal women’s quality of life. Based on evidence, acupressure could increase the quality of life. This study investigated the effect of auricular acupressure on quality of life in postmenopausal women.Methods: This single-blind three-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted on 107 postmenopausal women referred to an Acupuncture Center in Mashhad, Iran in 2020. The patients were randomly allocated to three groups. In the intervention group, participants received ear seeds attached to an adhesive material on specific points on both ears. In one control group, participants received ear adhesive without seed and acupressure, on the same points as the intervention group. For the other control group, routine care was given. After four weeks, the quality of life questionnaire for menopause (MENQOL) was completed. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 16 using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests.Results: The average quality of life in the three groups did not show any significant difference at the beginning of the study (p=0.798). After four weeks, the quality of life in the acupressure group was significantly improved (P=0.002) compared to the two control groups. The average quality of life changed from 92.48 ± 21.88 to 73.77 ± 16.74 (p 0.001). However, there were no changes in the ear adhesive without seed group (p=0.67) and group with routine care (P=0.059). Conclusion: The auricular-acupressure technique can be applied as a simple, effective, and non-invasive alternative method for enhancing quality of life during postmenopausal period.