title: Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in assisted reproduction therapy (ART) by comparing a group of patients receiving acupuncture treatment shortly before and after embryo transfer with a control group receiving no acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective randomized study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility center.
  
  
  METHODS
  After giving informed consent, 160 patients who were undergoing ART and who had good quality embryos were divided into the following two groups through random selection: embryo transfer with acupuncture (n = 80) and embryo transfer without acupuncture (n = 80).
  
  
  METHODS
  Acupuncture was performed in 80 patients 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer. In the control group, embryos were transferred without any supportive therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical pregnancy was defined as the presence of a fetal sac during an ultrasound examination 6 weeks after embryo transfer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical pregnancies were documented in 34 of 80 patients (42.5%) in the acupuncture group, whereas pregnancy rate was only 26.3% (21 out of 80 patients) in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture seems to be a useful tool for improving pregnancy rate after ART.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Medicine, Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Ulm, Germany. paulus@reprotox.de
authors.forename: Wolfgang E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Paulus
authors.forename: Mingmin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strehler
authors.forename: Imam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: El-Danasouri
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sterzik
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic