Evidence mapPaperPMID 42466338Full record

ReviewFrontiers in endocrinology2026

Acupuncture for premature ovarian insufficiency: a systemic neuroendocrine perspective.

Xi Zhao, ZhengYu Li, Sen Tang, Jie He, HuaXin Su, Yingchun Huang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Xi ZhaoAcupuncture and Moxibustion Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Provincial Directly Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
ZhengYu LiDepartment of Rehabilitation, Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Chenzhou, Hunan, China.
Sen TangAcupuncture and Moxibustion Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Provincial Directly Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
Jie HeAcupuncture and Moxibustion Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Provincial Directly Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
HuaXin SuAcupuncture and Moxibustion Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Provincial Directly Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
Yingchun HuangAcupuncture and Moxibustion Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Provincial Directly Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is increasingly viewed not merely as an ovarian-centered reproductive disorder but as a systemic neuroendocrine condition characterized by multilevel dysregulation spanning the central nervous system, ovaries, immune system, metabolism, and stress-response networks. Beyond disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, POI involves impairment of the KNDy-GnRH network, chronic inflammatory activation, gut-ovary axis-related metabolic disturbances, and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system. Acupuncture has been proposed as a multi-target neuroendocrine intervention whose effects may extend beyond local ovarian regulation toward broader physiological modulation. Available evidence suggests that acupuncture may influence reproductive hormone regulation, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2), and may be associated with changes in ovarian reserve-related indicators and menstrual function. Some studies also report effects on stress-related endocrine activity, autonomic function, and emotional symptoms, potentially involving inflammatory and metabolic pathways. Experimental evidence further suggests possible effects on hypothalamic neuropeptide signaling, ovarian oxidative stress and inflammation, and systemic stress-metabolic pathways. However, the current evidence is limited by small sample sizes, short follow-up durations, and methodological variability, and there is insufficient evidence regarding clinically meaningful long-term outcomes. Overall, while acupuncture demonstrates biological plausibility and preliminary therapeutic potential, its clinical efficacy in POI remains inconclusive. Further well-designed, large-scale studies incorporating standardized outcome measures and long-term endpoints are required to evaluate its effectiveness and clarify its mechanisms. This review aims to delineate the systemic neuroendocrine mechanisms and potential clinical roles of acupuncture in POI, providing a conceptual framework to guide future research and integrative therapeutic strategies.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyNeurosecretory SystemsPrimary Ovarian InsufficiencyAnimalsFemaleHumansHypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal AxisHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemPituitary-Adrenal SystemacupunctureHPA axisHPO axisneuroendocrine regulationovarian reservepremature ovarian insufficiency

Identifiers

PMID42466338
PMCPMC13372615

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.