Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture point selection based on syndrome differentiation and irritative painful point selection in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome（ PCOS）. Methods Forty-eight PCOS patients were randomized into the point selection based on syndrome differentiation group and the irritative painful point selection group

with 24 cases in each group. Both groups were given acupuncture treatment twice a week since the 5th day of menstrual cycle or the 5th day after progesterone withdrawal bleeding. Treatment stopped during menstrual period. Both groups were treated for 32 times. During acupuncture treatment

patients’ spontaneous menstruation times and basal body temperature（ BBT） were recorded to determine the cases’ number of patients with biphasic body temperature. Luteinizing hormone / follicle stimulating hormone（ LH /FSH） and testosterone（ T） were detected before and after treatment. Body weight was measured

and body mass index（ BMI） was calculated. Results After treatment

there were 17 cases（ 70. 8%） of patients with biphasic BBT in the point selection based on syndrome differentiation group

and 14 cases（ 58. 3%） in the irritative painful point selection group

with no significant difference between the two groups（ P > 0. 05）. Menstruation frequency increased in both groups after treatment（ P < 0. 05）

but with no significant difference between the two groups（ P >0. 05）. There were no significant differences in BMI between before and after treatment in both groups

and between the two groups after treatment（ P > 0. 05）. Levels of LH / FSH and T decreased in both groups after treatment（ P <0.. 05）

especially in the point selection based on syndrome differentiation group（ P < 0. 05）. Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture treatment based on syndrome differentiation might be superior to irritative painful point selection in the treatment of PCOS on the aspects of improving menstruation and endocrine metabolism.