title: The use of complementary and alternative fertility treatments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used for the treatment of infertility; however, few reviews have evaluated the quality of evidence underlying the use of CAM fertility treatments. This review summarizes and evaluates the evidence underlying the use of these therapies for male and female infertility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A wide range of CAM treatments are used by subfertile couples. Their use depends upon the region studied and the type of fertility problems encountered. Acupuncture, the most commonly used CAM fertility treatment in the USA, has the most literature-based support. Few randomized trials have been performed to evaluate other CAM fertility treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAM is used commonly to treat infertility; however, additional high-quality studies need to be conducted to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of these therapies before clear recommendations can be made by physicians about their safety and effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Catherine R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male