As infertility doctors we are constantly striving to improve the success rates of the treatments that we offer to infertile couples. One avenue which had shown some promise and for which there is increasing enthusiasm are alternative medical therapies. Acupuncture is among the better studied of these therapies. Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer was thought to improve chance of pregnancy by increasing blood flow to the uterus. Over the past few years this theory has been tested in clinical studies (1). The first randomized study utilizing acupuncture at the time of embryo transfer showed very promising results that favored acupuncture (2). Several other studies have shown a small benefit or no benefit (3-10). With the large number of patients that have been studied, acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer alone does not appear to improve the chances that a cycle of IVF will lead to pregnancy. None of the studies raised any concerns about the safety of acupuncture for women wishing to become pregnant.

At this time there is not sufficient high quality evidence for us to recommend the routine use of acupuncture only before or after an embryo transfer. If you wish to pursue a program of acupuncture in conjunction with assisted reproduction treatments, please contact the Riverside Acupuncture & Wellness Centre at 613-526-3168, for a consultation. If you are only interested in acupuncture at the time of embryo transfer, you must let the Ottawa Fertility Centre nurses know at least one week before your egg retrieval. Margaret Ozols, Calvin Dale Smith, and Steve Ryu are professional Oriental Medical practitioners who have a special interest in complimentary fertility enhancement.

References for further reading :
1) Stener-Victorin et al. Hum Reprod 1996;11:1314-7 2) Paulus et al. Fertil Steril 2002;77(4): 721-4 3) Paulus et al. Abstract of the 19th Annual ESHRE Meeting,Madrid, Spain 2003 4) Smith et al. Fertil Steril 2006;85:1352-8 5) Dieterle el al. Fertil Steril 2006;85:1347-51 6) Westergaard et al. Fertil Steril 2006;85:1341-6 7) Craig et al. Abstract from the ASRM Annual Meeting, Washington DC, USA 2007 8) Fratterelli et al. Fertil Steril 2008, Supp 1, pS105 9) So et al. Hum Reprod 2009;26:341-8 10) Domar et al. Fertil Steril 2009;91:723-26