Abstract: The key health issues for women tend to be primarily associated with the female reproductive system. There are also other gender priorities and consequences associated with ageing, which require effective interventions. acupuncture is used worldwide and its evidence base is increasing on both mechanisms of action and its effectiveness in clinical care. Although acupuncture may be a valuable addition to healthcare for some conditions, it is rarely fully integrated into mainstream Western medicine clinical practice. Inadequate design and poor reporting of clinical trials have been barriers. Additionally systematic reviews and meta-analyses have tended to be equivocal and have reported that there is insufficient evidence for its recommendation. Future research should focus on ensuring good trial design including cost effectiveness and qualitative data and using a more pragmatic stance which reflects acupuncture in clinical practice. Undoubtedly, effective interventions are always needed to ensure the best health outcomes and address preventable deaths, morbidities, and disabilities among women but integration will be compromised unless underpinned by good evidence.

辅助针刺：是否对女性健康起促进作用？

[1]Adams, J., Lui, C.W., Sibbritt, D., et al., 2011. Attitudes and referral practices of maternity care professionals with regard to complementary and alternative medicine: an integrative review. J. Adv. Nurs., 67(3):472-483.

[2]Al-Inany, H., 2008. Acupuncture for infertility: a recently released evidence. Middle East Fert. Soc. J., 13(1):67.

[3]Appleyard, I., Lundeberg, T., Robinson, N., 2014. Should systematic reviews assess the risk of bias from sham-placebo acupuncture control procedures? Eur. J. Integr. Med., 6(2):234-243.

[4]Barfield, W.D., Warner, L., 2012. Preventing chronic disease in women of reproductive age: opportunities for health promotion and preventive services. Prev. Chronic Dis., 9:110281.

[5]Betts, D., Smith, C.A., Hannah, D.G., 2012. Acupuncture as a therapeutic treatment option for threatened miscarriage. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 12:20.

[6]Bovey, M., Lorenc, A., Robinson, N., 2010. Extent of acupuncture practice for infertility in the United Kingdom: experiences and perceptions of the practitioners. Fert. Steril., 94(7):2569-2573.

[7]Burton, A., Smith, M., Falkenberg, T., 2015. Building WHO’s global strategy for traditional medicine. Eur. J. Integr. Med., 7(1):13-15.

[8]Cheong, Y.C., Dix, S., Hung Yu Ng, E., et al., 2013. Acupuncture and assisted reproductive technology. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 7:CD006920.

[9]Cochrane, S., Smith, C.A., Possamai-Inesedy, A., et al., 2014. Acupuncture and women’s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women’s reproductive health. Int. J. Women’s Health, 6:313-325.

[10]Collins, J., Lehnherr, J., Posner, S., et al., 2009. The ties that bind: maternal and child health and chronic disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prev. Chronic Dis., 6(1):A01.

[11]Commission on Population and Development, 2014. Assessment of the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. Resolution 2014/1, United Nations, p.1-7.

[12]Dodin, S., Blanchet, C., Marc, I., et al., 2013. Acupuncture for menopausal hot flushes. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 7:CD007410.

[13]Farr, S.L., Dietz, P.M., Williams, J.R., et al., 2011. Depression screening and treatment among nonpregnant women of reproductive age in the United States, 1990-2010. Prev. Chronic Dis., 8(6):A122.

[14]Fu, H., He, Y., Gao, Y., et al., 2011. Acupuncture on the endometrial morphology, the serum estradiol and progesterone levels, and the expression of endometrial leukaemia-inhibitor factor and osteopontin in rats. Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., 2011:606514.

[15]Gibbons, L., Belizán, J.M., Lauer, J.A., et al., 2010. The global numbers and costs of additionally needed and unnecessary caesarean sections performed per year: overuse as a barrier to universal coverage. World Health Report (2010) Background Paper, No. 30, p.1-31.

[16]Giovanardi, C.M., Fauci, A.J., Mazzanti, U., et al., 2015. Toward a definition of the standards for research in acupuncture: the Bologna International Symposium. Eur. J. Integr. Med., 7(4):429-431.

[17]Han, J.S., Ho, Y.S., 2011. Global trends and performances of acupuncture research. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., 35(3):680-687.

[18]Hu, X.Y., Lorenc, A., Kemper, K., et al., 2015. Defining integrative medicine in narrative and systematic reviews: a suggested checklist for reporting. Eur. J. Integr. Med., 7(1):76-84.

[19]Levett, K.M., Smith, C.A., Dahlen, H.G., et al., 2014. Acupuncture and acupressure for pain management in labour and birth: a critical narrative review of current systematic review evidence. Complement. Ther. Med., 22(3):523-540.

[20]Lim, D.C.E., Chen, W., Cheng, L.N.C., et al., 2011. Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 8:CD007689.

[21]Magarelli, P.C., Cridennda, D.K., Cohen, M., 2009. Changes in serum cortisol and prolactin associated with acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer treatment. Fert. Steril., 92(6):1870-1879.

[22]Mannerås, L.M., Jonsdottir, I.H., Holmang, A., et al., 2008. Low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical exercise improve metabolic disturbances and modulate gene expression in adipose tissue in rats with dihydrotestosterone-induced polycystic ovary syndrome. Endocrinology, 149(7):3559-3568.

[23]Napadow, V., Ahn, A., Longhurst, J., et al., 2008. The status and future of acupuncture mechanism research. J. Altern. Complement. Med., 14(7):861-869.

[24]Qu, F., Robinson, N., 2015. Traditional medicine-challenges for research. In: Langweiler, M.J., McCarthy, P.W. (Eds.), Methodologies for Effectively Assessing Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Singing Dragon, p.82-96.

[25]Qu, F., Zhou, J., Bovey, M., et al., 2012. Does acupuncture improve the outcome of in vitro fertilization? Guidance for future trials. Eur. J. Integr. Med., 4(3):e234-e244.

[26]Qu, F., Wu, Y., Hu, X.Y., et al., 2016. The effects of acupuncture on polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. J. Integr. Med., 8(1):12-18.

[27]Robinson, N., Lorenc, A., Ding, W., et al., 2012. Exploring practice characteristics and research priorities of practitioners of traditional acupuncture in China and the EU— a survey. J. Ethnopharmacol., 140(3):604-613.

[28]Smith, C.A., Zhu, X., He, L., et al., 2011a. Acupuncture for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 1:CD007854.

[29]Smith, C.A., Collins, C.T., Crowther, C.A., et al., 2011b. Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 7:CD009232.

[30]Smith, C.A., Crowther, C.A., Grant, S.J., 2013. Acupuncture for induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 8:CD002962.

[31]Stener-Victorin, E., Wu, X., 2010. Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture in the reproductive system. Auton. Neurosci., 157(1-2):46-51.

[32]Stener-Victorin, E., Waldenstrom, U., Andersson, S.A., et al., 1996. Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture. Hum. Reprod., 11(6):1314-1317.

[33]Temmerman, M., Khosla, R., Laski, L., et al., 2015. Women’s health priorities and interventions. BMJ, 351:h4147.

[34]Wisdom, J.P., Berlin, M., Lapidus, J.A., 2005. Relating health policy to women’s health outcomes. Soc. Sci. Med., 61(8):1776-1784.

[35]World Health Organization, 2013. WHO traditional medicine strategy:2014-2023, World Health Organisation, p.1-78. http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/traditional/trm_strategy14_23/en

[36]Xue, P., Zhan, T.Y., Yang, G.Y., et al., 2015. Comparison of Chinese medicine higher education programs in China and five Western countries. J. Tradit. Chin. Med. Sci., 2(4):227-234.

[37]Yu, J., Liu, B., Liu, Z., et al., 2005. Acupuncture for premenstrual syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 2:CD005290.

[38]Zhang, Y., Peng, W., Clarke, J., et al., 2010. Acupuncture for uterine fibroids. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 1:CD007221.

[39]Zhu, X., Hamilton, K.D., McNicol, E.D., 2011. Acupuncture for pain in endometriosis. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., 9:CD007864.