Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42327481›Full record

ArticleHealth science reports2026

Acupuncture Versus Clomiphene for Ovulation Induction in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Leili Hafizi, Hamideh Azizi, Malihe Mahmoudinia, Mona Jafari, Hamidreza Bahrami Taghanaki, Habibollah Esmaili, Shiva Golmohammadzadeh, Hoda Azizi

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Article in Health science reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Leili HafiziSupporting of the Family and the Youth of Population Research Core, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Hamideh AziziSupporting of the Family and the Youth of Population Research Core, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Malihe MahmoudiniaSupporting of the Family and the Youth of Population Research Core, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Mona JafariSupporting of the Family and the Youth of Population Research Core, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Hamidreza Bahrami TaghanakiDepartment of Acupuncture, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Habibollah EsmailiDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Health Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Shiva GolmohammadzadehDepartment of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Hoda AziziDepartment of Acupuncture, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1120-2217

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and Aims: There is evidence of the beneficial effects of acupuncture in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to compare acupuncture with clomiphene in ovulation induction among infertile women with PCOS. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on infertile women with PCOS who were referred to the gynecology clinic of Imam Reza Hospital and Milad Infertility Center, Mashhad, Iran, from December 2015 to July 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups; the intervention group (38 patients) received true acupuncture plus placebo clomiphene, whereas the control group (39 patients) received clomiphene plus sham acupuncture. Patients were compared in terms of folliculare growth, evidence of ovulation, and side effects of treatment. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics and PCOS criteria. The ovulation rates were 31.5% and 41.6% in the intervention and control groups respectively, indicating no statistically significant difference( Conclusion: Acupuncture can be as effective as clomiphene treatment in inducing ovulation in infertile women with PCOS. Moreover, considering the few side effects of acupuncture, its application can be considered a safe option.

Indexed as

Acupuncture therapyClomipheneOvarian follicularOvulation inductionPolycystic ovary syndrome

Identifiers

PMID42327481
PMCPMC13282259

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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.