Acupuncture improves pregnancy and live birth rate in IVF cycles

A systematic review that evaluated whether acupuncture improves rates of pregnancy and live birth when used as an adjuvant treatment to embryo transfer in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation.

It included a total of 7 randomised controlled trials with 1,366 women Trials with sham acupuncture and no adjuvant treatment as controls were pooled for the primary analysis.

Complementing the embryo transfer process with acupuncture was associated with significant and clinically relevant improvements in clinical pregnancy (OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.27 to 2.14; number needed to treat [NNT] 10, 95%CI 7 to 17), ongoing pregnancy (1.87, 1.40 to 2.49; NNT 9 (6 to 15); five trials), and live birth (1.91, 95%CI 1.39 to 2.64; NNT 9, 95%CI 6 to 17).

The reviewers concluded that current preliminary evidence suggests that acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation.

Reference

Manheimer et al. (2008) Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ; 336 (7643): 545-9.