Embryo Transfer

Presentation Slides

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture may have a positive impact on clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), although the results are limited by the heterogeneity of the current evidence.

2023 Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Zhang H, Zhang C, Ma P, Sun C, Sun C, Liu X, Pu Z, Lin Y, Liu B, Liu C, Yan S

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

The study found that acupuncture as an adjuvant therapy for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in infertile women had positive effects on pregnancy outcomes.

2022 Frontiers in Public Health Effects of acupuncture on the pregnancy outcomes of frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Zhu C, Xia W, Huang J, Zhang X, Li F, Yu X, Ma J, Zeng Q

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Based on the current evidence, acupuncture appears to be beneficial to increase the clinical pregnancy rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

2021 Frontiers in Public Health An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Infertile Women Undergoing in vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
Wang X, Wang Y, Wei S, He B, Cao Y, Zhang N, Li M

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture therapy on patients with recurrent implantation failure can improve the pregnancy outcome of patients. It is a relatively effective treatment with satisfactory safety and suitable for clinical application.

2021 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Li, M., Liu, Y., Wang, H., Zheng, S., Deng, Y., & Li, Y.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture appears to be beneficial to women with poor ovarian reserve or with previous unsuccessful attempts of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer.

2019 Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer: An interdisciplinary systematic review
Gu, Y.-E., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q., Dai, M.-C., Wu, Y., Zhou, Y., & Qu, F.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Acupuncture during IVF treatment can possibly lower anxiety at the time of embryo transfer but seems to have no long-term impact on women's quality of life.

2019 Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica The effects of acupuncture on the secondary outcomes of anxiety and quality of life for women undergoing IVF: A randomized controlled trial
Smith CA, de Lacey S, Chapman M, Ratcliffe J, Norman RJ, Johnson NP, Fahey P

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture may have a significant effect on clinical pregnancy rates, independent of comparator group, when used in women who have had multiple previous IVF cycles, or where there was a low baseline pregnancy rate.

2019 Reproductive BioMedicine Online Acupuncture performed around the time of embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Smith, C. A., Armour, M., Shewamene, Z., Tan, H. Y., Norman, R. J., & Johnson, N. P.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture performed on the day of embryo transfer has a significant effect on embryo implantation, however, a negative one.

2018 JBRA Assisted Reproduction Does acupuncture the day of embryo transfer affect the clinical pregnancy rate? Systematic review and meta-analysis
Schwarze, J.-E., Ceroni, J. P., Ortega-Hrepich, C., Villa, S., Crosby, J., & Pommer, R.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

We found pooled benefit of acupuncture for IVF when performed at follicle phase and 25 min before and after embryo transfer, as well as 30 min after embryo transfer and implantation phase.

2015 Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation The Role of Acupuncture in in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Shen C.,Wu M., Shu D., Zhao X. and Gao Y.

Executive Summary

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Embryo Transfer" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Embryo Transfer" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Embryo Transfer" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Systematic Review published in 2023 in the journal Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that Acupuncture may have a positive impact on clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), although the results are limited by the heterogeneity of the current evidence. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on embryo transfer in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). A total of 49 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 9422 women were analyzed. The results indicated that acupuncture had a significant positive impact on the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) compared to the control groups (odds ratio [OR]=1.65 for CPR, 1.34 for LBR). Subgroup analyses showed that traditional acupuncture was more beneficial for women aged < 35 years, those receiving ≥ 3 sessions, and those with lower baseline CPR rates in the control group. However, significant heterogeneity was observed among the studies. In conclusion, while there were some benefits of acupuncture in improving CPR and LBR in IVF, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the variability in the current evidence.

A Systematic Review published in 2022 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found that The study found that acupuncture as an adjuvant therapy for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in infertile women had positive effects on pregnancy outcomes. The study investigates the effects of acupuncture as supplementary therapy for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in infertile women. It finds significant positive impacts on clinical pregnancy rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, endometrial thickness, and pattern. However, the evidence quality is considered unsatisfactory, prompting a call for more robust research and refined acupuncture protocols.

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found that Based on the current evidence, acupuncture appears to be beneficial to increase the clinical pregnancy rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. This study reviews the SRs of acupuncture for infertile women undergoing IVF-ET. Based on the current evidence, acupuncture appears to be beneficial to increase the CPR in women undergoing IVF-ET. However, there are severe heterogeneity and methodological quality defects, which limit the reliability of results. Further, high-quality primary studies are still needed.

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Acupuncture therapy on patients with recurrent implantation failure can improve the pregnancy outcome of patients. It is a relatively effective treatment with satisfactory safety and suitable for clinical application. The aim of this analysis was to identify the efficacy and safety of acupoint stimulation therapy for RIF patients. The results of meta-analysis show that for the outcome measurements including clinical pregnancy rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, embryo implantation rate, and endometrial thickness, the use of acupuncture in the treatment group is higher than the sham or nonacupuncture group, in which the difference is statistically significant. These results are believable and reliable. The included studies are highly homogeneous and there is no obvious publication bias. However, large heterogeneity appears in the statistical analysis of the endometrial thickness. Moreover, there was no statistical significance in the number of embryo transfers and the type of endometrium.

A Systematic Review published in 2019 in the journal Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction found that Acupuncture appears to be beneficial to women with poor ovarian reserve or with previous unsuccessful attempts of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer. The present systematic review is designed to summarize the evidence concerning the effect of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET). We searched MEDLINE, the Wanfang Database, the China Academic Journal Electronic Full-text Database in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Index to Chinese Periodical Literature. Randomized controlled trials with intervention groups using acupuncture and control groups consisting of no acupuncture or sham (placebo) acupuncture in IVF-ET treatment were selected. Study characteristics were examined from these studies and an intention-to-treat approach was used to extract outcome data from each study. In total, 31 articles including 4450 women passed our selection criteria. The legitimacy, characteristics, and IVF outcomes of the included trials were summarized. Additional Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory-based, standardized, large-size, randomized, and multicenter trials are necessary prior to any conclusions being drawn on whether TCM can improve IVF outcomes.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2019 in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica found that Acupuncture during IVF treatment can possibly lower anxiety at the time of embryo transfer but seems to have no long-term impact on women's quality of life. A multicenter randomised controlled trial was conducted recruiting women between 18 to 42 years, who were already undergoing a fresh IVF cycle and not using acupuncture. The experiment ran between June 2011 and October 2015 in Australia and New Zealand. Random assignments placed participants in either the acupuncture group or a control group which received sham acupuncture. Three treatments were administered in total - the first between the 6th and 8th day of ovarian stimulation, and the other two on the day of the embryo transfer. The results of the study highlighted that participants who received acupuncture reported experiencing significantly less anxiety following the embryo transfer. However, no discernible difference was found between the groups in terms of quality of life following the embryo transfer. The apparent benefit of acupuncture on the general health of participants was not sustained 14 weeks after the trial, which indicates that acupuncture might not have a long-term impact on a woman's emotional well-being following an IVF cycle.

A Systematic Review published in 2019 in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online found that Acupuncture may have a significant effect on clinical pregnancy rates, independent of comparator group, when used in women who have had multiple previous IVF cycles, or where there was a low baseline pregnancy rate. Evidence suggests acupuncture may be effective when compared with no adjunctive treatment, with increased clinical pregnancies and live births, but is not an efficacious treatment when compared with sham controls. Future research should focus on different dosing acupuncture regimens, and exploration of the components of acupuncture that are contributing to improved reproductive outcomes. Increased understanding of these components may have broader application to the care and treatment modalities provided to women undergoing IVF. Further exploration of the effects of acupuncture for women with poorer IVF outcomes is warranted.

A Systematic Review published in 2018 in the journal JBRA Assisted Reproduction found that Acupuncture performed on the day of embryo transfer has a significant effect on embryo implantation, however, a negative one. According to our findings, physicians should encourage their patients to avoid undergoing acupuncture on the day of ET, since it diminishes the chances of getting pregnant. It still has to be elucidated the mechanisms by which acupuncture negatively affects embryo implantation. In conclusion, acupuncture performed on the day of ET has a significant effect on embryo implantation, however, a negative one. Therefore, clinicians should encourage their patients to avoid this technique the day of ET.

A Systematic Review published in 2015 in the journal Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation found that We found pooled benefit of acupuncture for IVF when performed at follicle phase and 25 min before and after embryo transfer, as well as 30 min after embryo transfer and implantation phase. Our study showed that acupuncture increased pregnancy rates when performed at follicle phase and 25 min before and after ET or 30 min after ET and after the implantation phase in the IVF process. However, there was no statistically significant difference in women undergoing IVF between treatment performed only around the time of ET, follicle phase or implantation phase. The study of Zheng et al. also showed that the pooled CPR result around the time of ET showed no significant differences between all acupuncture groups and the control groups. However, the CPR result of acupuncture performed around the time of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation showed a significant difference. The potential impact of acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and on the uterus was significant, but the specific mechanism was still unknown.

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