Does acupuncture help with in vitro fertilization?

2015-06-11 10:00:09

Those who undergo IVF can receive either acupuncture or whole systems traditional Chinese medicine (WS-TCM) as an adjuvant IVF treatment. WS-TCM is a complex intervention that includes herbal medicine, diet, and lifestyle recommendations. In this study, 1231 IVF patient records were assessed and outcomes were compared ⁽¹⁾. They compared IVF with no treatment, IVF with acupuncture, and IVF with WS-TCM. The primary outcome was live birth. WS-TCM was associated with greater odds of live birth compared with IVF alone, or embryo transfer with acupuncture only. WS-TCM was associated with increased live births compared with all groups, in donor and non-donor cycles.