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Transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TEAS) is a standard therapy for painful conditions. This study evaluated pain-relieving effects of treatment with TEAS before and after surgical abortion.In this cohort study 140 nulliparae requesting pregnancy termination with intravenous anesthesia from August to December 2013 at the outpatient clinic of Wenzhou Medical University First Affiliated Hospital were recruited and divided into three cohorts who received TEAS pre-, post-, and both pre- and post-operation, alongside a control group. The cohorts underwent TEAS treatment for 30 min before and/or after the procedure while the control group received no TEAS treatment. Pain levels were evaluated upon recovery at 10, 30, and 45 min, respectively, after abortion.Mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores in pre-operation cohorts, but not the post-operation cohort, were significantly lower than those obtained for the control group at 10 min (p 0.01). VAS scores at 30 min and 45 min postoperatively were similar in each cohort but lower than control values (p 0.001). More cohort patients reported mild or no pain than control patients (p 0.05); the pre-operation cohorts had more women with no pain compared with the post-operation group (p 0.05). There were no differences among groups in medical treatment required after 45 min. There were fewer complications of nausea and vomiting in the cohorts compared with the control group (p 0.05).Performing TEAS before and after surgical abortion provides postoperative pain relief. However, receiving TEAS before surgery allowed more women to experience mild or no pain.Transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation shows potential as an adjunct to conventional pain treatment following surgical abortion in nulliparae.