Efficacy of rhythmical massage in comparison to heart rate variability biofeedback in patients with dysmenorrhea-A randomized, controlled trial.

Background: 20-90% of all women suffer from dysmenorrhea. Standard therapy of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) are NSAIDs and oral contraceptives, effective but not without possible side effects.

Objective: To examine the efficacy of rhythmical massage (Anthroposophic Medicine) and heart rate variability biofeedback compared to usual care (control group) on pain intensity in women with primary dysmenorrhea.