Effect of electro-acupuncture on the ovarian response in repeated in vitro fertilization cycles

Abstract

Objective To assess the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on the ovarian response in patients who underwent several cycles of controlled ovarian stimulation-in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (COS-IVF/ICSI). Methods Ninety-four COS-IVF/ICSI patients who underwent several cycles were divided into two groups: EA group and control group. Each group were divided into three subgroups according to women’s ages: group A (<35 years), group B (35-39 years) and group C (≥40 years). The EA group was treated with EA during COS, and no intervention to the controls. Results The number of oocytes, MⅡ oocytes, and embryos were all significantly higher than those in the previous cycles and also the control (P 0.05). Groups B and C showed no significant difference in the measurements above compared with themselves in last cycle and the control with the same age. Conclusion Our study preliminarily suggested that acupuncture treatment would have the efficacy in improving the quality of the oocytes which may relate with women’s age. Key words: Electro-acupuncture (EA); Controlled ovarian stimulation (COS); Repeated cycles; Women’s age