Pain is a prevalent clinical symptom or disorder defined by the International Society for the Study of Pain as an unpleasant somatic sensory and emotional experience associated with tissue damage or with underlying tissue damage. It can be accompanied by alterations in metabolic, endocrine, respiratory, circulatory function and psychology [1]. Among gynecological diseases, there is no shortage of people seeking treatment for pain as a primary symptom, such as dysmenorrhea, menstrual headache, postpartum paralysis, endometriosis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, and gynecological cancer pain, and in abortion and childbirth, which also often require appropriate management of pain by the physician. The pain symptoms associated with these diseases not only bring physical and mental pain to the patient, but also seriously affect the patient’s normal life, work, employment, economic and social status. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of treating pain. Many chapters in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine have recorded theories and methods for treating pain, such as the chapter on pain, the chapter on pain, the chapter on syncope, the chapter on syncope, the chapter on wind, the chapter on paralysis, the chapter on stabbing lumbago, the chapter on mu stabbing, the chapter on abdominal center, and the chapter on miscellaneous diseases. Theories and methods of acupuncture and moxibustion for pain relief have been discussed in subsequent generations of acupuncture literature, such as “Acupuncture and Moxibustion Jie”, “Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Man”, “Acupuncture and Moxibustion Dacheng”, “Acupuncture and Moxibustion Zishengjing”, “Acupuncture and Moxibustion Juying”, etc. A large number of modern TCM practitioners have mastered the theory of acupuncture and moxibustion in the canonical texts flexibly and have widely applied various acupuncture and moxibustion treatment methods to gynecological pain and obtained good treatment results. 1, traditional acupuncture “Nei Jing” believes that the important cause of pain is “the circulation of the meridians is not only, the circumference is not resting, weeping and does not work, the pulse is not pass gas, so the pain.” Therefore, acupuncture points on the body surface can unblock the meridians, harmonize the qi and blood, and thus exert the effect of opening the meridians and relieving pain. Zheng Jianyu et al. used Zhongji, Sanyinjiao, Taichong, Kidney Yu, Fengchi, and Hegu as the main acupuncture points to treat menstrual headache, and added Shenmen for heartburn and insomnia; added Shinsanli and Neiguan for vomiting; added Zhimen and Liver Yu for lower abdomen and breast distension; added Shinsanli and Spleen Yu for loss of appetite and weakness of the limbs. The treatment is given 5-7 days before menstruation until the menstruation clears. Four to six acupuncture points are used in rotation once a day for one course of treatment. The total effective rate after 3 courses of treatment was 93.4%, and the recovery rate was 66.7% [2]. The authors also emphasized the appropriate combination of psychological guidance during treatment. The acupuncture points were Hegu, Neiguan, and Sanyinjiao, all bilateral, with strong stimulation by large twisting and lifting, with the addition of Feisanli and Baihui for dizziness and bowel movements, and Shuigou for nausea and palpitations, and Neiguan once in 3-5 minutes, and then again in 10 minutes after the symptoms were relieved. The treatment of 100 patients, 61 cases of significant effect, 28 cases of effective [3]. Hou Wenjing et al. selected the acupuncture points of Sanyinjiao, Ji s, Diji, and 17 vertebrae for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea, and started acupuncture on the first day of dysmenorrhea, for 3 d/menstrual cycle, for 3 consecutive cycles. The total frequency and severity of dysmenorrhea symptoms on the COX Dysmenorrhea Symptom Scale (CM SS) were significantly lower in the patients treated with this method than in the pre-treatment and aspirin effervescent control groups. This suggests that acupuncture at selected points can significantly improve dysmenorrhea symptoms in patients by reducing blood viscosity, improving blood supply to the uterus, increasing blood flow rate, and promoting the transport of pain-causing substances such as prostaglandins [4]. In the author’s opinion, in addition to menstruation and pain relief, the significant pain-relieving effect of acupuncture is also related to the mechanisms of tonic deficiency and pain relief, and tranquilization and pain relief. The traditional moxibustion method is one of the traditional external treatment methods in China, which has the functions of warming the meridians and dispersing cold, helping Yang to fix the pain, eliminating blood stasis and dispersing nodules, and preventing diseases and health care, etc. In the Spring and Autumn period, it has been very popular to use moxibustion to treat diseases, especially after the Tang Dynasty, the method of moxibustion and the expansion of clinical indications have been developed unprecedentedly, covering various disciplines such as internal and external women and children’s skin. According to the characteristics of moxibustion and the current situation of pain research at home and abroad, it was suggested that “the research of moxibustion for pain treatment will be one of the hot spots of acupuncture research in the new century” [5]. Zhou Minya applied moxibustion with moxa cones on the points of lumbar 2, lumbar 3, lumbar 4, lumbar 5, and the points under the seventeenth vertebrae to treat postpartum low back pain, and the total efficiency was 100%. The authors concluded that postpartum lumbago is due to postpartum weakness and wind, cold and dampness, resulting in stagnation of the meridians and poor flow of qi and blood, and some of the patients had local chemical radiculitis caused by anesthesia due to caesarean section, with obvious symptoms of nerve root irritation, similar to qi stagnation and blood stasis in Chinese medicine, so moxibustion with intermittent medicinal cakes has a good therapeutic effect by warming yang, moving qi and blood, improving blood circulation and promoting the absorption of inflammatory substances [6]. Among 34 patients, 9 were cured, 17 were effective, 7 were effective, and 1 was ineffective, without any toxic side effects. The authors concluded that moxibustion of the lower abdomen with a large warm box can achieve the advantage of multiple points at one time: moxibustion of Zhongji, Guangyuan, Qihai, Shimen, and Qichong points can promote blood circulation, regulate the menstruation and stop the belt, and cultivate the capital; moxibustion of Daher and Qi points can regulate the liver and kidney, and clear heat and dampness. The combined use of these acupuncture points can help to harmonize the flushes and the spleen, support the positive and dispel the evil, resolve blood stasis and regulate qi to relieve pain [7]. Liu Yaxin et al. combined equal parts of Astragalus, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Rehmanniae Sinensis, Radix Eucommiae, and Mugwort leaves, and made them into coarse powder by taking 30 g each time through a copper container and applying fumigation to the bilateral water channel and Si Man acupuncture points and the unilateral Sanyinjiao acupuncture point to treat dysmenorrhea due to endometriosis, each point for 10 minutes, once a day, 10 times as a course of treatment, and after 3-6 courses of treatment, 56 cases of 76 patients were significantly effective, 11 cases were effective, and 9 cases were ineffective. The total effective rate was 88.16% [8]. 3, characteristic acupuncture therapy Traditional acupuncture treatment of pain evidence of a large number of clinical practice and experience tells us that acupuncture can play a therapeutic effect on the three links of the cause, pathogenesis and symptoms, and the three complement each other, when used together, work together to interrupt the vicious circle [9]. With the continuous research on traditional acupuncture theory and clinical practice, modern Chinese medicine acupuncture workers have innovated traditional acupuncture in terms of theoretical elaboration, acupuncture apparatus, and operational methods, and have formed a situation where a hundred flowers have blossomed and each has its own color, for which we may call them characteristic acupuncture therapies. These therapies are also commonly used in the treatment of gynecological pain evidence. 3.1 Characteristic acupuncture method Characteristic acupuncture method is developed on the basis of traditional acupuncture method, which is a kind of treatment method different from traditional milli-needle and meridian point treatment. Compared with the traditional acupuncture technique, the characteristic acupuncture method has unique features in terms of operation method, application scope and efficacy, which can make up for the shortcomings of traditional acupuncture therapy in clinical practice and is therefore popular among clinical practitioners. Zhu Zhiqiang et al. used abdominal acupuncture to treat dysmenorrhea due to endometriosis, using the points of inducing Qi to return to Yuan, abdominal Si Guan, and bilateral Da Heng points, randomly with bilateral upper and lower rheumatism points, and started treatment 5 days before each menstruation, once a day for 10 times, every 3 menstrual cycles as a course of treatment. Thirty patients were observed, and the healing rate reached 90% [10]. Hao Wei et al. applied electroacupuncture for analgesia during abortion by taking bilateral Hegu, Sanyinjiao and Kidney Yu, turning on the electroacupuncture ten minutes before the operation and keeping the needle until five minutes after the operation, and observed 100 cases with good analgesic effect (58 cases without pain, 36 cases with mild pain and 6 cases with moderate pain) [11]. The treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with Dong’s qi acupuncture point was performed by taking the Menjin point (in the straight anterior sunken recess at the junction of the second and third metatarsal bones), retaining the needles for 45 minutes and performing the acupuncture once every 15 minutes from 3 days before the onset of menstruation to 3 days after the end of menstruation, once a day, for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles, treating 40 cases with a recent efficiency of 92.5% and a long-term efficiency (six months of follow-up) of 90% [12]. In addition to the above characteristic acupuncture methods, floating acupuncture, balancing acupuncture, wrist and ankle acupuncture, bee acupuncture, head acupuncture and eye acupuncture are also often used in gynecological pain evidence [13-18], among which mainly in dysmenorrhea and postpartum body pain are more widely used. The traditional moxibustion method mainly refers to the use of moxa, moxa strips and other materials, either suspended, separated or pressed on acupuncture points for a long history, and is widely used today. The moxibustion method has been used for a long time and is still widely used today. With the innovation of moxibustion material and apparatus, the change of operation process, and even the rediscovery, summary and interpretation of moxibustion theory, many special moxibustion methods have been produced, and their therapeutic effects are exciting to the doctors and gratifying to the patients. Many of these special moxibustion methods have also been effective in treating gynecological pain. Zhao Zhongting uses moxibustion to treat postpartum body pain, taking the patient’s dorsal lumbar area from the dazhong to lumbar yu line, and rubbing a little ginger juice on both sides of the rectangular area beyond the jiaoji point and within the dorsal yu point, and then taking the fengshui san (30 g each of fengfeng, Chuanwu, hosin, Chuanxiong, Qiangwu, Dushu, Guizhi and Dilong, 20 g each of pine knot, frankincense and myrrh, 50 g of stretching grass, 15 g of whole scorpion, 3 g of ice chips, finely powdered). The moxa wormwood was made into a long moxa cone of about 4 cm high and triangular in cross section and placed on the moxa cone, and the whole moxa cone was ignited at the upper corner, and when the patient had a burning sensation that was unbearable, the moxa cone was replaced by a new moxa cone and continued to burn for two strokes for about 40 min. After finishing, remove the residual moxa and ashes, keep the residual heat and ginger paste fixed with adhesive tape, and remove all materials when the warmth disappears. The treatment was carried out once every other day, 7 times for a course of treatment, and the effective rate reached 93.1% after 3 courses of treatment in 29 patients [19]. Du Qiaolin et al. treated 29 women with chronic pelvic pain using Zhao’s thunder fire moxibustion, which was applied to the upper Qu bone to Shen Que point of the Ren vein, both sides of the Shao abdomen, the 4th lumbar vertebra to the 1st sacral vertebra, and the eight s points, once a day for 30 min each time, and 6 times for a course of treatment. ]. Song Ning used Zhuang medicine line moxibustion to treat primary dysmenorrhea, and selected body points: Sanyinjiao, Feet Sanli, Chengshan, Guangyuan, Zhongji, Navel Thursday (Zhuang medicine specific points, 1.5 inches away from Shenqu, one point on each side), and Plum Blossom (Zhuang medicine specific points, taken at the place of pain, not at the point of no pain). Moxibustion is added to Hegu and Taichong for solid evidence, and Taixi and Fuyao for deficiency evidence. Also take ear points: uterus, endocrine, sympathetic, kidney, subcortical. The moxibustion technique with Zhuang medicine line was applied to the upper points and treated 85 cases, 59 cases were cured and 25 cases were effective, with an efficiency of 98.82% [21]. Rao S administered thermal moxibustion to 30 primary dysmenorrhea patients at and near the commonly occurring sites of thermal sensitized acupoints, such as Zhongji, Guanyuan, Si s, and Sanyinjiao, with an effective rate of 83.33%, and the therapeutic effect was significantly better than that of anti-inflammatory pain treatment [22]. 4, integrated therapy Combining acupuncture, moxibustion, tui na, Chinese and Western medicines, and other therapies can play a multi-channel and multi-target therapeutic role, which has advantages in overall efficacy and is generally accepted by the majority of acupuncture clinical workers. Wang Liying et al. used the triple therapy of tui na, medicine application, and isolated medicine moxibustion to treat dysmenorrhea in endometriosis, taking acupoints Qihai, Guan Yuan, Zhongji, and Zi Gong (double ) as the main points, and treated 55 patients with an overall effective rate of 98.18%, with a significant difference in efficacy relative to herbal treatment [23]. Liao Xiaoqi used acupuncture and medicine to treat menstrual headache, with the main acupuncture points taken from Sun, Qu sideburns, Head Wei, Sanyinjiao, Tai Chong, He Gu and Waiguan, Blood deficiency with Foot San Li, Liver depression with Qi Men, and Blood stasis with Blood Sea, and also administered Bazhen Tang, Chai Hu Dredging Liver San and Tong Qiao Wu Blood Stasis Tang plus and minus for Blood deficiency, Liver depression and Blood stasis, respectively, which were significantly more effective than Fenbid and Angong progesterone treatment [24]. Xie Xiaowan treated 85 cases of postpartum body pain with acupuncture and garlic mud moxibustion, and selected acupuncture points by identifying the evidence and parts of the body: blood deficiency with Baihui, Quchi, Feet Sanli, Sanyinjiao, and Spleen Yu; wind cold with Fengchi, Fengmen, Liver Yu, Blood Sea, and Taichong; kidney deficiency with Guan Yuan, Kidney Yu, Taichong, and Wei Zhong; upper limb pain with Shoulder K, Shoulder S, Quchi, Hand Sanli, and Hegu; lower limb pain with Yanglingquan, Inner Knee Eye, Outer Knee Eye, and Hanging Bell; heel pain with Chengshan and Female Knee (between the red and white fleshy areas behind the heel), Shen yu, and Zhaohai. The total effective rate was 91.8% [25]. Xue Haifeng selected bilateral secondary s and Sanyinjiao points to perform warm acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea with cold clotting and blood stasis, and the effect was significantly better than conventional indomethacin treatment [26]. Sheng Gifeng et al. used warm acupuncture as the main treatment for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, combined with ear pressure and blood pricking and cupping therapy according to the diagnosis, in which warm acupuncture was taken from the main points Guan Yuan, Zhong Ji, Dao Shui, Guilai, Sanyin Jiao, Foot San Li, and Li Gou; lumbago was added to Kidney Yu, Subs, and Wei Zhong; increased leucorrhea was added to Di Ji and Yin Ling Quan; irregular menstruation was added to Zhao Hai and Xing Zhong; abdominal distension was added to Belt Vein and Qi Hai; inflammatory masses were added to Fu She; and fever was added to Qu Ji and Dazhi. The overall effective rate was 97.2% and the overall cure rate was 83.3% in 36 patients treated in combination, and the effective rate and cure rate increased accordingly with the increase of the treatment course [27]. In summary, the author believes that acupuncture has a long history of treating gynecological pain, so the theoretical basis is solid, and its safety and effectiveness have been clinically verified for a long time; the treatment operation is non-invasive and painful, and the patient’s acceptance is high, and certain treatment methods, such as moxibustion, often make the patient feel painful and comfortable; the operation is simple and easy to promote, and even some of the treatments can be instructed to be implemented at home, which is extremely suitable for patients with chronic pain. In the context of the general concern about the side effects of drugs, acupuncture therapy is more in line with the needs of patients; the characteristic acupuncture therapy is new and abundant, and some of them have not yet been applied to gynecological pain evidence, so there is room for further exploration and summary. However, from the data collected in this paper, general clinical reports are predominant, and the lack of large-sample multicenter multi-factor randomized controlled research monographs affects the level of clinical research in general. Few reports involve mechanistic studies, with more emphasis on practicality and less on scientificity. Therefore, in the future, we need to pay attention to the existing problems and shortcomings, establish and promote unified and practical diagnostic criteria and efficacy assessment criteria, conduct strict scientific research design, and continue to support clinical practice and observation as well as encourage mechanistic research on acupuncture and moxibustion for gynecological pain, so that this bright treasure of Chinese medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion, can be further developed and flourished.