Acupuncture and in vitro fertilization: Critique of the evidence and application to clinical practice

Anderson, Belinda; Rosenthal, Lara

doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.11.002

Cited by 26 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As the eff ect of acupuncture changes with the menstrual cycle, if acupuncture is applied at diff erent time points, it will produce diff erent results (Anderson and Rosenthal 2013). Hence, diff erent studies using acupuncture at diff erent time points are likely to produce diff erent eff ects and are not comparable.…”

Section: Protocol Used In Diff Erent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Th is is considered to be low dosage, especially in chronic conditions, where optimal treatment involves four to ten acupuncture points given in more than six sessions (Anderson and Rosenthal 2013).…”

Section: Protocol Used In Diff Erent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is the Chinese medical diagnosis that determines the correct acupuncture doses and protocol (Anderson and Rosenthal 2013).…”

Section: Protocol Used In Diff Erent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Nandi

Shah

Gudi

et al. 2014

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Women's choice to delay fertility due to various reasons is making subfertility a growing problem and increased use of IVF as a last resort. Despite advances in the technology, IVF success remains low, especially in older women. Hence, many of these women need to undergo several cycles of IVF and are faced with unprecedented anxiety and frustration. In desperation, they resort to anything that might increase the success of their IVF treatment. Acupuncture has gained popularity among the various complementary medicines available and many go privately to have acupuncture while undergoing IVF. Since 1999, in spite of multiple trials and systematic reviews, the beneficial effect of acupuncture in improving the success of IVF remains unproven and debatable. As clinicians, we face the dilemma of what to suggest to our patients when asked about having acupuncture during IVF, given that different meta-analyses have come to different conclusions. Hence, this review is conducted with the aim to summarise the available literature and provide a better insight into this complex and controversial topic.

show abstract

Section: Protocol Used In Diff Erent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Protocol Used In Diff Erent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Nandi

Shah

Gudi

et al. 2014

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The published studies include those by Domar et al,81 Moy et al,82 So et al,83 and Andersen et al84 and, if the results of these 1,311 patients were added to those of the meta-analysis, it is unlikely that there is conclusive evidence of a major effect of acupuncture accompanying ET 85. Anderson and Rosenthal86 conclude that despite 40 clinical trials and 9 systematic reviews investigating the efficacy of acupuncture for improving IVF outcomes:…”

Section: Acupuncture For Female Reproductive Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture and women's health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health

Cochrane

Smith

Possamai‐Inesedy³

et al. 2014

IJWH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAcupuncture and other modalities of Chinese/East Asian medicine have been used to treat women’s health for many centuries. Gynecology specialties focus particularly on menstrual and reproductive disorders. Both the adoption of the use of acupuncture outside Asia, and the incorporation of scientific analysis in Asia have challenged biomedical conceptions of what can be achieved with this treatment method. The scale of research activity in relation to acupuncture and women’s health has increased over the last 20 years.ObjectiveThis review aims to explore the research evidence in relation to acupuncture use for women’s reproductive disorders, focusing on both clinical findings and experimental research on acupuncture’s mechanisms of action in relation to women’s health.MethodsA narrative literature search was undertaken using searches of electronic databases and manual searches of journals and textbooks. The search included all literature published prior to June 2013. The literature was assessed as to the nature of the study it was reporting and findings synthesized into a commentary.ResultsFor acupuncture’s mechanism of action the search resulted in 114 relevant documents; in relation to clinical reports on the use of acupuncture for women’s health 204 documents were found and assessed.ConclusionThere is preliminary data indicating acupuncture may improve menstrual health and coping for women experiencing delays falling pregnant. There is experimental data showing that acupuncture can influence female reproductive functioning, although the actual mechanisms involved are not yet clarified. Further well-conducted clinical research would benefit our understanding of the usefulness of acupuncture to women’s health.

show abstract

“…This approach may be considered 'low dose'; a clinically valid dosage of acupuncture typically involves needle insertion at 4-10 (or more) acupuncture points and more than six sessions. 27 Furthermore, most of the trials used relatively fixed protocols for all individuals in the trial, without considering individual characteristics. It has been argued that treatment should be individually tailored to obtain optimal outcomes.…”

Section: Implications For Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Undergoing in Vitro Fertilisation Or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lee

2017

Acupunct Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to assess the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods We searched a total of 15 databases through October 2015. The participants were women with PCOS (diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria) undergoing IVF or ICSI. Eligible trials were those with intervention groups receiving manual acupuncture (MA) or electroacupuncture (EA), and control groups receiving sham acupuncture, no treatment or other treatments. Outcomes included the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), live birth rate (LBR), ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) and incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and adverse events (AEs). For statistical pooling, the risk ratio (RR) and its 95% (confidence interval) CI was calculated using a random effects model. Results Four RCTs including 430 participants were selected. All trials compared acupuncture (MA/EA) against no treatment. Acupuncture significantly increased the CPR (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.71) and OPR (RR 2.03, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.81) and decreased the risk of OHSS (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.94); however, there was no significant difference in the LBR (RR 1.61, 95% CI 0.73 to 3.58). None of the RCTs reported on AEs. Conclusions Acupuncture may increase the CPR and OPR and decrease the risk of OHSS in women with PCOS undergoing IVF or ICSI. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as an adjunct to assisted reproductive technology in this particular population. INTRODUCTIONThe diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is based on the presence of two of the following three criteria: oligo-ovulation or anovulation; hyperandrogenism (clinical or biochemical); and the demonstration of polycystic ovaries on pelvic ultrasound assessment.1 Women with PCOS may be subfertile, potentially due to the effects of obesity and/or metabolic, inflammatory and endocrine abnormalities on ovulatory function, oocyte quality and endometrial receptivity.

show abstract

Acupuncture and in vitro fertilization: Critique of the evidence and application to clinical practice

Cited by 26 publications

References 39 publications

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Acupuncture and women's health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Undergoing in Vitro Fertilisation Or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Acupuncture and in vitro fertilization: Critique of the evidence and application to clinical practice

Cited by 26 publications

References 39 publications

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Acupuncture in IVF: A review of current literature

Acupuncture and women&#39;s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women&#39;s reproductive health

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Undergoing in Vitro Fertilisation Or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Acupuncture and women's health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health