A prospective randomized placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia.
In this first prospective, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study, 28 infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia received acupuncture according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and 29 infertile patients received placebo acupuncture. A significantly higher percentage of motile sperm (World Health Organization categories A-C), but no effect on sperm concentration, was found after acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture.
Dieterle
Stefan
S
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany; Infertility Center Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany. Electronic address: dieterle@ivf-dortmund.de.
Li
Chunfang
C
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Greb
Robert
R
Infertility Center Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Bartzsch
Felix
F
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany.
Hatzmann
Wolfgang
W
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany.
Huang
Dongmei
D
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D010919:Placebos; D011247:Pregnancy; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010919:Placebos