The impact of complementary medicine on in vitro fertilization

Abstract

The high cost and limited success rates of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have driven many patients to pursue alternative or complementary medicine options. Though many options exist, only the Traditional Chinese Medicine of acupuncture as adjuvant treatment in IVF has received significant scientific scrutiny. Despite an extensive body of literature that includes numerous randomized clinical trials and a meta-analysis, definitive conclusions are lacking. Though results to date suggest a statistically significant improvement in pregnancy rates with adjuvant acupuncture, important issues remain to be addressed. These include the chance of a placebo effect, the possible impact of patient selection and baseline pregnancy rates, and the lack of biologically plausible mechanism. Larger, randomized placebo-controlled trials are underway to address these concerns. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.