There has been research published in the last year showing Acupuncture during IVF doesn’t improve birth rates. These studies have only included 2-3 sessions during an IVF cycle, which any Acupuncturist will tell you isn’t enough. A paper published last year calls for longer term studies and better comparative models used for Acupuncture research.
Despite advancements in drugs and technology, IVF’s success rate remains quite low, hence why people turn to alternative medicines for support. Hopefully the conclusions made by this paper will be implemented in future research trials and we can gain a better understanding of the role Acupuncture can play in the IVF journey. Due to these earlier findings, advertising restrictions have been placed upon what we can say about using Acupuncture and IVF to the public. If you have an questions, it is best to call the clinic on 97962388 so we can discuss properly how I may be able to help.
Here is the extract from the research paper:
Acupuncture and in vitro fertilisation research: Current and future directions
First Published December 12, 2018
https://doi.org/10.1136%2Facupmed-2016-011352
Background
Acupuncture is a common adjuvant treatment to support patients undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, the impact of acupuncture and the different roles it can play in IVF remain unclear.
Objective
In this paper, we present an overview and critique of the current evidence on acupuncture’s impact on IVF-related stress, describe harms, and propose future directions for investigation.
Conclusion
Two to three acupuncture sessions performed on or around the day of embryo transfer are insufficient interventions to improve IVF birth outcomes but provide significant IVF-related stress reduction. Research investigating acupuncture to support IVF is heterogeneous and confounded by the lack of an appropriate comparator. However, evidence suggests several acupuncture sessions improve endometrial thickness, reduce stress, and improve patient satisfaction. Observational studies suggest more sessions are associated with increases in clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. An optimised acupuncture intervention with a reasonable comparator is necessary for future studies, with evidence-based guidance on technique and number of sessions. Acupuncture should not be rejected as an adjuvant therapy for IVF, but more studies are needed to clarify acupuncture’s role in supporting IVF cycles.
