Acupuncture boosts woman's chances of pregnancy through IVF

Acupuncture is capable of providing an effective treatment for the women having difficulty conceiving- a preliminary study by Dutch and US researchers suggest. The process of sticking needles in the body may help women become pregnant if they also undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

IVF is a procedure in which eggs (ova) from a woman's ovary are removed, and then fertilized with sperm in a laboratory procedure. This fertilized egg (embryo) then is transferred to the woman's uterus. Nearly 10 percent to 15 percent of couples have difficulty conceiving, and many opt for the process.

Acupuncture, one of the main forms of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine, involves the use of sharp, thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points to try to control pain and reduce stress. This process is believed to adjust and alter the body's energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat various types of illnesses and health conditions.

In their research, published Friday in the British medical journal (BMJ), experts found evidence of success for women who had acupuncture within one day of embryo transfer. They suggest that acupuncture might improve the odds of conceiving if done right before or after embryos are placed in the womb.

To reach their findings, lead researcher Eric Manheimer, a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and colleagues reviewed seven studies on 1,366 women in the United States, Germany, Australia and Denmark, who are having in vitro fertilization.

They then assigned the women to randomly receive IVF alone, IVF with acupuncture within a day of embryo transfer, or IVF plus fake acupuncture, in which needles were not placed properly or in spots not thought to matter.

After combining the results of seven trials, the researchers found that women who underwent acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer than those who underwent a fake version of the treatment, or any other treatment.

"Complementing the embryo transfer process with acupuncture seems to increase the odds of pregnancy by 65 percent, compared to sham acupuncture or no adjuvant treatment," said Manheimer.

"In absolute terms, this means that 10 women would need to be treated with acupuncture to result in one additional pregnancy," Manheimer said.

According to Manheimer, in fertility treatment Acupuncture is thought to increase blood flow to the uterus, relax the cervix and inhibit "fight or flight" stress hormones that resist an embryo to implant.

Although, acupuncture seems useful adjuvant treatment in the IVF process, but Manheimer said more studies are required to confirm these findings, as the results are still preliminary.

The research from the VU University in Amsterdam and the University of Maryland School of Medicine was paid for by a federal agency, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.