Acupuncture appears to improve clinical outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
A thorough search of seven databases, from inception to March 7, 2026, identified relevant randomized controlled trials examining the effects of acupuncture in women with PCOS undergoing fertility treatments. Forest plots presented the pooled evidence, with results encompassing a primary outcome and nine secondary outcomes. The studies' risk of bias was evaluated, sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess pooled estimates' stability, publication bias was assessed, and subgroup analyses were utilized to evaluate different factors' impacts on the primary outcome. The evidence's certainty was assessed with the GRADEPro GDT tool.
From the 551 initially identified articles, 22 trials involving 2,299 women were included. The analysis demonstrated that acupuncture therapy was associated with an increase in the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates and superior results in ovarian simulation and embryo development. The acupuncture group required a lower dose and a shorter period of Gn use, and it did not increase the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Subgroup analysis further revealed that manual acupuncture was more beneficial than electroacupuncture. The pooled evidence was robust, even if the overall quality of the evidence provided ranged from very low to moderate.
