The use of acupuncture before and after embryo transfer may improve the chances of successful implantation in women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization, according to a study published in this month's issue of Fertility and Sterility, Reuters/MSNBC.com reports. Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medical practice, is based on the idea that energy moves throughout the body along 20 pathways called meridians and that the flow of energy can be influenced by stimulating any of more than 2,000 acupuncture points along these pathways. Dr. Wolfgang Paulus and colleagues from the Christian-Lauritzen-Institut in Ulm, Germany, worked in conjunction with a team from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China, to assess the effect of acupuncture treatment on IVF success rates (Fox, Reuters/MSNBC.com, 4/16). The researchers divided 160 IVF patients into two groups. The acupuncture group was treated with needles inserted superficially at points along the spleen and stomach/colon meridians to "positively influence blood flow and energy to the uterus and to provide a sedative effect," and patients also received needles in the ear to "influence the uterus and stabilize the endocrine system." The needles were left in place for 25 minutes during two treatments, one each before and after embryo transfer. The control group was not treated with any needles but was told to relax for 25 minutes during two similar sessions before and after IVF.

Results
Rates of successful embryo implantation in the acupuncture group were "notabl[y]" higher than in the control group, with 34 of 80 women (42.5%) in the treatment group becoming pregnant compared to 21 of 80 patients (26.3%) in the control group. The researchers plan to conduct additional studies to attempt to rule out any confounding psychosomatic or placebo effects (Paulus et al., Fertility and Sterility, April 2002). Follow-up studies will use "placebo needle[s]" -- needles placed in the same manner as acupuncture along points not associated with acupuncture meridians -- to see whether women's conception rates are affected simply by the experience of being treated with needles or the belief that treatment will be successful. The researchers are not sure why acupuncture seems to increase pregnancy rates, but if the findings can be confirmed, "they may help us improve the odds for our (IVF) patients' achieving pregnancy," Dr. Sandra Carson, president-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said (BBC News, 4/16).