R. Homburg Author

Special Issue Article Open Access

The impact of acupuncture on IVF success rates: A randomized controlled trail

Author(s):

K. Gillerman*, A. Kulkarni, A. Shah, A. Gudi, R. Homburg

Clinical trials assessing benefits of acupuncture on IVF have differed in study design, protocol, outcome measures and commercial bias. This heterogeneity precluding firm conclusion regarding the efficacy of acupuncture in this field. To address this, international acupuncturists experienced treating women during IVF participated in Delphi questionnaires and reached a consensus protocol to be used in future research (Smith et al 2012). This was the first study to use this agreed standard protocol. This was an RCT, in which 157 women were randomised to receive either acupuncture treatment three times in the treatment cycle in addition to our standard IVF protocol (n=79) or no acupuncture treatment (n=78 ). All women in the study were undergoing their 1st or 2nd IVF cycle, were 23-43 year... view more»

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