No abstract

Objective-To determine the prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among couples seeking fertility care and to identify the predictors of CAM use in this population. Design-Prospective cohort study Setting-Eight community and academic infertility practices Patients-428 couples presenting for an infertility evaluation Interventions-Interviews and questionnaires Main Outcome Measures-Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine therapyResults-After 18 months of observation, 29% of the couples had utilized a CAM modality for treatment of infertility; 22% had tried acupuncture, 17% herbal therapy, 5% a form of body work, and 1% had utilized meditation. An annual household income ≥ $200,000 (OR 2.8, p=.04) relative to couples earning < $100,000, not achieving a pregnancy (OR 2.3, p=.01), and a positive attitude toward CAM use at baseline (p<.001) were independently associated with CAM use.Conclusions-A substantial minority of infertile couples utilize CAM treatments. CAM was chosen most commonly by wealthier couples, those not achieving a pregnancy, and those with a baseline belief in the effectiveness of CAM treatments.

No abstract

No abstract