Acupuncture as an Adjunct to In Vitro Fertilization: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

Background: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely accepted method to treat infertility; however, the average success rate in the United States is only 40.2%. Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood flow to the uterus, so it is reasonable to project that it could aid the success rate of IVF. Objective: To compare 3 acupuncture methods to evaluate which method is most effective for IVF. Design, Setting, and Patients: A total of 52 IVF patients aged between 29 and 45 years (mean age, 38) were selected for this study. This study was conducted from 2004 to 2008 at Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) plus electroacupuncture (EA), TCA alone (control), or EA alone (second control). Main Outcome Measures: Comparisons of IVF effectiveness rates were made for each method. Results: All 3 acupuncture methods increased the success rate for IVF. There was a marked increase with the combination of TCA and EA (81.8% success—twice the US average for IVF alone) (P < .01). The success rates for the control groups TCA and EA were 64.3% and 62.5%, respectively (P > .05). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the combination of TCA and EA is a promising new technique for the treatment of infertility with a higher IVF success rate than that of TCA or EA alone.