Acupuncture guidelines

Complementary therapies for fertility problems are becoming ever more popular, and acupuncture in particular is generally accepted to be a successful alternative or addition to conventional treatments. Having a session of acupuncture before and after embryo transfer is thought to increase the chances of implantation. Indeed, it’s now so popular that some fertility clinics have acupuncturists working on site to provide an integrated service alongside the medical treatment due to patient demand. However, the British Fertility Society has now questioned the accepted wisdom that you're more likely to get pregnant if you've had acupuncture alongside your IVF.

They've issued guidelines which say there's no evidence that having acupuncture (or using Chinese herbal medicine) increases your chances of having successful fertility treatment. They examined the results of fourteen existing trials, which included more than two and a half thousand patients, and found no evidence that acupuncture made any difference to the outcome of fertility treatment. Acupuncturists question the methods used for the trials, but the lack of evidence cannot be entirely meaningless given the number of patients involved.

When The Complete Guide to IVF was published, I was questioned by an acupuncturist who didn’t feel I had been sufficiently positive about acupuncture during treatment in the book. In fact, I am not against the idea of complementary therapies at all, and I think that if they can make you feel calmer and more relaxed, this can only have a positive outcome. I had, however, pointed out that scientific evidence was not clear cut when it came to backing up claims that having acupuncture during an IVF cycle increased success rates. If you find that acupuncture makes you more able to deal with the ups and downs of IVF, then there’s every reason to use it while you’re having treatment. If on the other hand, you are spending money you can ill afford looking and are expecting miracles, it may be worth reconsidering.

You can read more about the British Fertility Society take on this at www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk