Acupuncture Combined with Herbal Cake-Separated Moxibustion for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Sequelae of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Lingyu Qi,1,2 Yigong Fang,1,2 Dongxue An,1 Jiaxi Meng,1 Li Yang,1,2 Jiashan Li,1,2 Tian Hang,1,2 Huanfang Xu1,21Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100007, People’s Republic of China; 2Hospital of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100007, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Huanfang Xu, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100007, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 15711082019, Email [email protected]: Acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion may be an effective treatment option for chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in sequelae of pelvic inflammatory disease (SPID), yet safety and feasibility evidence remain scarce.Methods: This is a single-center, two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the experiment group (acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion) or the control group (acupuncture only) in a 1:1 ratio. Treatment will be administered 3 times per week, totaling 24 sessions over an 8-week period, followed by a 4-week follow-up. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score will be used as the primary outcome. Adverse events will be documented throughout the trial.Conclusion: Results of this trial may provide clinical evidence for the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion in the treatment of CPP. The findings of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Ethics/Registration: This trial has been approved by the ethics committee of participating hospital (No. S2023-06-29-3) and registered in International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (No. ITMCTR2026000339).Keywords: acupuncture, herbal cake-separated moxibustion, sequelae of pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, randomized controlled clinical trial