09/03/10

'No evidence' acupuncture boosts chances of IVF baby

There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine increase the chance of getting pregnant through IVF, fertility experts say in new guidance.

The methods are increasingly offered as a way of boosting the chances of a baby, but the British Fertility Society suggests couples may be wasting money.

They analysed 14 trials involving 2,670 people before issuing the new guidance.

But a leading practitioner said that better designed trials would show that the methods could help some couples.

All the trials involved acupuncture, in which needles were inserted into different areas of the body at different stages in the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle.

No matter at what stage of the process acupuncture was used, it had no impact on the pregnancy or live birth rate, the BFS researchers found.

They did however also find it caused no harm, with no difference in miscarriage rates.

There were no published trials on the use of Chinese herbs which were rigorous enough for inclusion, so the team concluded that there was "currently no evidence to support the use of this in fertility treatments".

As more couples seek IVF, there has been a growth in accompanying complementary therapies, and acupuncture has benefited.

It is the most popular option for patients because it is thought to improve blood flow and increase the chance of an embryo implanting.

Trial and error

But this sometimes comes at a cost which could buy a couple a further cycle of IVF.

Professor Adam Balen, head of BFS's policy and practice committee, said patients needed to be aware of the lack of evidence on acupuncture and herbs before signing up to a course of treatment.

There was a "a great deal of discrepancy", he added, in the way in which the trials were designed and the type of acupuncture used.

"Any future randomised controlled trials in this area need to ensure that they use a standardised acupuncture method, have a large sample size and include adequate controls to account for any placebo effects."

They did however also find it caused no harm, with no difference in miscarriage rates.

There were no published trials on the use of Chinese herbs which were rigorous enough for inclusion, so the team concluded that there was "currently no evidence to support the use of this in fertility treatments".

As more couples seek IVF, there has been a growth in accompanying complementary therapies, and acupuncture has benefited.

It is the most popular option for patients because it is thought to improve blood flow and increase the chance of an embryo implanting.

Trial and error

But this sometimes comes at a cost which could buy a couple a further cycle of IVF.

Professor Adam Balen, head of BFS's policy and practice committee, said patients needed to be aware of the lack of evidence on acupuncture and herbs before signing up to a course of treatment.

There was a "a great deal of discrepancy", he added, in the way in which the trials were designed and the type of acupuncture used.

"Any future randomised controlled trials in this area need to ensure that they use a standardised acupuncture method, have a large sample size and include adequate controls to account for any placebo effects."

Font: BBC