For some women, the menopause and the years leading up to it, can be a time of troubling emotional and physical symptoms.

Axar.az reports citing BBC.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) eases symptoms like hot flushes and sweats, but it's not suitable for all women.

Now, a small study published in BMJ Open suggests acupuncture may be worth considering.

The Danish study found that five weeks of acupuncture in women with menopausal symptoms reduced hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and emotional problems.

Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark cautioned that they couldn't rule out that the results were down to the placebo effect.

The placebo effect is where a treatment works because a patient believes it will, rather than as a result of the treatment itself.

One of the study authors, Prof Frans Boch Waldorff, from the University of Southern Denmark, said: "We can't explain the underlying mechanism behind acupuncture, nor determine how much of the effect is caused by placebo.

"But this was a safe, cost-effective and simple procedure, with very few side-effects reported by the women.

"Women seeking acupuncture treatment for menopausal symptoms should be informed of the current evidence, and its limitations, so they can make a decision."