A systematic review of 25 trials covering 4800 participants, suggests that acupuncture improves pregnancy rates in IVF. The authors calculated a pooled clinical pregnancy rate across all the acupuncture groups in 25 trials, of 44%. By contrast, the equivalent figure for the control groups was 33%.
Across 11 trials, the pooled live birth rate across the acupuncture groups was 38%, versus 29% across the control groups.
(Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives in Gynecology & Obstetrics, 12 July 2023.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
View all posts by Robin Costello
