Chinese herbs in the treatment of laparoscopy diagnosed endometriosis: a controlled study.

The study is a randomised, double-blind, multi-centre clinical trial to evaluate the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the management of endometriosis. Formulated Chinese herbs will be assessed against an inert placebo. Trial participants will be randomly allocated to either Chinese herbal medicine or placebo. Neither participants nor researchers/assessors will have knowledge of the allocation. It is a prospective clinical study in which participants are reviewed monthly for six months, and three month follow up. Stringent methodology includes an objective laparoscopy diagnosis of endometriosis and suitable outcome measures. The study also includes ensuring participants completing the trial and, facilitating consistent data collection and validity. The trial will be a multi-centre clinical trial with participants recruited and reviewed at several health centres. This will be the first clinical trial in Australia combining Chinese herbal medicine, an objective diagnosis (laparoscopy) and a strict methodological protocol.