Retrospective analysis on pregnancy outcomes and fat-related factors of treatment of endomorph PCOS infertility patients by acupuncture of 8 acupoints around umbilicus

Abstract

To assess the therapeutic effect of acupuncture of eight acupoints around the umbilicus in improving the metabolic level and reproductive function in endomorph polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) infertile patients. Retrospective analysis was performed on 96 cases of endomorph type PCOS infertility patients who were admitted to the clinic of the Reproductive Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to June 2018. Among them, fifty-six cases of the acupuncture group received treatment with acupuncture stimulation of eight acupoints (Shuifen ［CV9］, Yinjiao ［CV7］, Tianshu ［ST25］, Wailing ［ST26］, Huaroumen ［ST24］, etc.) around the umbilicus, and 40 cases of the control group were treated by oral administration of Letrozole. Acupuncture was performed once every other day, and Letrozole (2.5 mg/day) given once daily for 5 days, if no pregnancy got, the treatment procedure was repeated once again next menstruation cycle, continuously for 3 months. The pregnancy outcomes including the pregnancy rate, persistent pregnancy rate, ovulation rate and the first trimester abortion rate, and the levels of fat-related factors including body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR=fasting insulin x fasting blood glucose /22.5), leptin(LEP) and adiponectin(APN) of the two groups were compared. The ovulation rate (number of effective ovulation cycles/ number of observation cycles) x 100%, the first trimester abortion rate (number of spontaneous abortion within 12 weeks÷pregnancy cases) X100% were calculated. The fasting blood samples were taken for assaying serum LEP and APN contents using ELISA, blood glucose level using hexokinase assay, and serum insulin by using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay, separately. After the treatment, the pregnancy rate and the level of APN were significantly higher (P<0.05), and the BMI, WHR, HOMA-IR and LEP levels were all obviously lower in the acupuncture group than in the control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the persistent pregnancy rate, abortion rate and ovulation rate (P>0.05). Acupuncture at the eight points around the umbilicus can raise the pregnancy rate in obese type PCOS patients, which may be related to its effects in up-regulating serum APN and lowering BMI, WHR, HOMA-IR, and serum LEP levels.