en |
The effect of acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer on the in vitro fertilization outcomes: An RCT
Dehghani, Alamtaj Samsami; Homayouni, Kaynoosh; Kanannejad, Zahra & Kanannejad, Zeinab
Abstract
Background: Acupuncture is an adjunct therapy to support infertile women received
in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment; however, the efficacy of this approach needs more
evaluation.
Objective: This randomized clinical trial (RCT) study aimed to evaluate the influence of
acupuncture on reproductive outcomes in women undergoing IVF treatment.
Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 186 participants who had
undergone IVF treatment in the Mother and Child Hospital between September 2015
and February 2016. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: Acupuncture
25 min before embryo transfer (ET) (ACU1 group, n = 62), acupuncture 25 min before
and after ET (ACU2 group, n = 62), and ET without acupuncture (control group, n = 62).
Pregnancy rates (biochemical, clinical, and ongoing) were evaluated and compared
between groups.
Results: There were significant differences between the ACU1 group and the control
group regarding biochemical (p = 0.005), clinical (p = 0.006), and ongoing (p = 0.007)
pregnancies. Also, our results showed that two-session acupuncture (ACU2) lead to a
significant reduction in frequency of biochemical (p = 0.002), clinical (p = 0.003), and
ongoing (p = 0.01) pregnancy rates when compared to the one-session acupuncture
(ACU1). No significant difference was found between the ACU2 and control groups
regarding the aforementioned terms (p = 0.50).
Conclusion: Acupuncture 25 min before ET significantly increased the IVF outcomes
in women undergoing IVF compared with no acupuncture. Repeating acupuncture 25
min after ET did not improve the IVF outcome.
Keywords
Acupuncture; Embryo transfer; In vitro fertilization; Pregnancy rate.
|