Acupuncture does not notably enhance the number of oocytes retrieved in patients with poor ovarian response, but it influences embryo cleavage rates and basal FSH levels.
This research was a multi-institutional, randomized study organized across nine tertiary hospitals in China from August 2018 to March 2024. The study included 140 women aged 40 or under that met the Bologna criteria and were fit for the antagonist ovulation induction protocol. These women were divided randomly into one group who received 36 acupuncture sessions before controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, and a control group treated with in-vitro fertilization only. The primary objective was to compare the number of oocytes retrieved between the two groups while secondary outcomes included the study of embryological parameters, markers of ovarian reserve, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate.
Discussion on the results shows that the number of oocytes extracted was not notably different between the acupuncture group and the control group. The minor differences observed may not necessarily be clinically significant. However, the acupuncture group showed a higher embryo cleavage rate and lowered levels of basal follicle-stimulating hormone compared to the control group, suggesting that acupuncture could have some influence, although it did not enhance the rates of clinical pregnancies or live births significantly. No severe adverse events were reported during the study.
