Acupuncture during IVF and ICSI

Acupuncture Exeter: acupuncture during IVF and ICSI An international team of authors from London South Bank University, Western Sydney University, and research institutions in China and Korea, has undertaken an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of trials studying acupuncture during IVF and ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). Data from 31 trials covering over 6000 women was examined. Many studies had their limitations eg not recording any diagnosed reasons for infertility, not recording patients’ body mass index etc. Overall though, the meta-analysis indicates that acupuncture treatment is beneficial in IVF/ICSI for improving implantation, pregnancy and live birth outcomes. The authors say further well-designed randomised controlled trials with increased samples sizes are still required to verify the data obtained in this study.

(Effects of acupuncture during in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, October 2018.)