| ■ Acupuncture boosts in-vitro pregnancy chances: study | 2008.02.20 |
| PARIS (AFP) - Acupuncture can increase the chance of success for couples seeking to have a baby through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to a review published online Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The paper looked at seven studies in which 1,366 women undergoing IVF were given acupuncture or a sham form of it -- in which dummy sensations were substituted for pinpricks -- or no additional treatment at all. Overall, the odds of pregnancy increased by 65 percent among the acupuncture group, although this figure may be overstated as data for the trials was uneven, say the authors. They note that in trials where there was a generally high success rate, acupuncture conferred only a relatively slender advantage, of 24 percent. In four of the trials where the outcome of IVF was known, acupuncture boosted the probability of a live birth by 91 percent. |