Infertility
Acupuncture reduces stress of infertility – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Feb 2012
Acupuncture can help reduce stress for women experiencing infertility, according to Australian researchers. In a pilot study, 32 women with a history of infertility received six sessions of acupuncture over eight weeks. At the end of the intervention, women in the acupuncture group described the impact of acupuncture as positive. Significant changes on scores relating to infertility stress, and a trend toward improved self-efficacy and less anxiety were reported in the acupuncture group compared with a wait-list control group. After treatment women described increased physical relaxation and psychological calmness, as well as a changed perspective in relation to coping. (The effect of acupuncture on psychosocial outcomes for women experiencing infertility: a pilot randomized controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct;17(10):923-30).
Chinese herbal medicine improves infertility treatment – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Oct 2011
A systematic review by US authors has concluded that Chinese herbal medicine may increase the effectiveness of infertility treatment with the drug clomiphene citrate (CC). Fourteen randomised studies representing 1316 patients met their inclusion criteria. Four studies (n=315) reported a 14% higher likelihood of biphasic basal body temperatures. Six studies (n=604) reported a non-significant 18% increase in ovulation rates. Two studies (n=138) reported subjects 78% more likely to have endometrial lining greater than 6mm. Thirteen studies (n=1202) reported a 50% increase in pregnancy rates. The authors noted the poor methodological quality and small sample size of published trials and called for more rigorously controlled studies. (Chinese herbal medicine and clomiphene citrate for anovulation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 May;17(5):397-405).