Acupuncture for perimenopausal insomnia: a case report.

Half a billion women in the United States are expected to go through menopause within the estimated age range (35–55 years) in the next decade, 31%–42% of whom will suffer from insomnia, according to an epidemiological study published in 2017.1 Among all menopausal symptoms, insomnia is extremely common. It can be defined as having trouble falling asleep, early awakening and/or difficulty in falling asleep after waking.2 Perimenopausal insomnia (PI) reduces quality of life and puts a huge burden on people’s family and work. Currently, pharmacotherapies like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and sedative and hypnotic drugs have been proven effective; however, side-effects often cause new discomfort, and the efficacy is not always ideal. Long-term HRT, for instance, might increase the risk of endometrial cancer, breast cancer and stroke.3 Hence, alternative treatments without side-effects are desirable. Acupuncture, a non-pharmacological therapy with minimal side-effects, has been considered to be a reasonable option for insomnia treatment. Nevertheless, evidence for acupuncture treatment of PI is inadequate.4 Therefore, we present the case of a patient diagnosed with PI who appeared to be successfully treated by acupuncture.