Acupuncture plus IVF = 5-fold increase in pregnancy rates (after two or more failed IVF cycles)

This study shows that there is a significant benefit to integrate acupuncture with IVF treatment for patients with two or more failed IVF cycles. It is one of the few studies using sham acupuncture to ensure that the effect of acupuncture is real, not just a placebo. The study was published in a reputable, pier-reviewed journal Acupuncture in Medicine, BMJ journals.

Influence of acupuncture on the outcomes of in vitro fertilisation when embryo implantation has failed: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial.

Isoyama Manca di Villahermosa D, Dos Santos LG, Nogueira MB, Vilarino FL, Barbosa CP.
Source
Faculty of Medicine of ABC, Clinic for Human Reproduction, , Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion as an adjuvant treatment in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) when embryo implantation has failed.
METHODS:
A prospective, randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted with 84 infertile patients who had had at least two unsuccessful attempts of IVF. The patients were randomised in three groups: control (n=28), sham (n=28) and acupuncture (n=28). The sample size was calculated by assuming a pregnancy rate of 10% when embryo implantation had failed. The pregnancy rates of the current IVF cycle were evaluated by measurement of blood beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta hCG) and subsequent transvaginal ultrasound. Acupuncture was performed on the first and seventh day of ovulation induction, on the day before ovarian puncture and on the day after embryo transfer. In the acupuncture group, patients were treated with moxibustion at nine acupuncture points (BL18, BL22, BL23, BL52, CV3, CV4, CV5, CV7, GV4) and needling at 12 points. In the sham group needles were inserted in eight areas that did not correspond to known acupuncture points.
RESULTS:
The clinical pregnancy rate in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the control and sham groups (35.7% vs 7.1% vs 10.7%; p=0.0169).

CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, acupuncture and moxibustion increased pregnancy rates when used as an adjuvant treatment in women undergoing IVF, when embryo implantation had failed.