SynthesisBMC complementary and alternative medicine2019
The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2023Pooled it
- An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Infertile Women UndergoingFrontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of nifedipine administration before embryo transfer on reproductive outcome in ICSI cycles, a double-blind control trial study.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Trial
- Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation improves endometrial receptivity resulting in improved IVF-ET pregnancy outcomes in older women: a multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2022Trial
- Electroacupuncture may improve endometrial receptivity in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation mice by activating AVP neurons.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Acupuncture-assisted embryo transfer techniques: Research frontiers and future directions.World journal of transplantation · 2025Article
- Acupuncture Increased the Number of Retrieved Oocytes in a Mouse Model of POR: The Involvement of DNA Methylation in the Oocytes.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2025Article
- Mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine regulating polycystic ovary syndrome through gut microbiota: a review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Review
- Exploring the Mechanism of Acupuncture in Improving Ovarian Function in Rats with Poor Ovarian Response Using High-Throughput Sequencing.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2025Article
- Understanding the effect of acupuncture on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy from a metabolic perspective: study protocol for a single-blinded randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Acupuncture combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists improves endometrial receptivity and pregnancy outcome in patients with recurrent implantation failure of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Article
- Effect of alternative and complementary medicine on male infertility: An umbrella review.Health science reports · 2024Article
- Nurturing Hope: Reproductive Outcomes with Sinosomatics following Unsuccessful in vitro Fertilization Attempts.Complementary medicine research · 2024Article
- The Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment on the Cumulative Live Birth Rate of Patients with Poor Ovarian Response to the Patient-Oriented Strategies Encompassing Individualized Oocyte Number Criteria.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Neutral effect of Zishen Yutai Pill on frozen-thawed embryo transfer: a propensity score matching study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
- Acupuncture Treatment for Emotional Problems in Women with Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Effect of acupuncture on the opening time of implantation window and endometrial receptivity in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation rats during peri-implantation period.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Acupuncture as Treatment for Female Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Article
- Effectiveness and safety of Korean medicine for treating women with unexplained infertility: A multi-center observational study.Integrative medicine research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe effects of acupuncture on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes remain controversial. And the variation in participant, interventions, outcomes studied, and trial design may relate to the efficacy of adjuvant acupuncture.
methodsWe searched digital databases for relevant studies, including Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and some Chinese databases up to December 2018, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of acupuncture on women undergoing IVF. We included studies with intervention groups using needling, and control groups consisting of no acupuncture or sham (placebo) acupuncture. Primary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR). Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were conducted on the basis of eight pre-specified covariates to investigate the variances of the effects of adjuvant acupuncture on pregnancy rates and the sources of heterogeneity.
resultsTwenty-seven studies with 6116 participants were included. The pooled clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) from all of acupuncture groups was significantly greater than that of control groups (RR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.38), whereas the pooled live birth rate (LBR) was not. Meta-regression subgroup analysis showed a more significant benefit of acupuncture for repeated IVF cycle proportion (number of women with a history of prior unsuccessful IVF attempt divided by number of women included in each trial) ≥ 50% group (CPR: RR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.28-2.00; LBR: RR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.05-1.92), and this covariate explained most of the heterogeneity (CPR and LBR: adjusted R
conclusionsOur analysis finds a benefit of acupuncture for IVF outcomes in women with a history of unsuccessful IVF attempt, and number of acupuncture treatments is a potential influential factor. Given the poor reporting and methodological flaws of existing studies, studies with larger scales and better methodologies are needed to verify these findings.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.