Thats how much difference acupuncture made on IVF live birth rates in 5 trials with 975 people compared to placebo in this study:
Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
What a dry sounding title that is. Yet it is the reason for that number.
Thirty plus years ago when I started in this profession , IVF was not the business it is now for a multitude of reasons and other conversations, rather treatment I provided for fertility issues was solely based on Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment principles.
Increasingly over the last 30 years plus IVF has become an enormous business, I have been working more closely with women and couples on the IVF trail using TCM in conjunction with IVF regimes.
TCM, within its treatment approach, has been addressing fertility challenges for a looooong time, and while anecdotal evidence and clinical observation has indicated there is a more positive effect when combining the two approaches, current research evidence is always needed and welcome.
Thankfully with the increasing interest and use of TCM in fertility challenges, research and the need for has been attracting more interest.
The authors of this specific paper looked at the randomised control trials that compared acupuncture to any protocol.
They ultimately included 25 studies with 4,757 participants. Here are a few critical results:
Acupuncture vs any control increased live births by 33%
Acupuncture vs no treatment increased live births by 23%
Acupuncture vs placebo increased live births by 52%
Click on the image below to view the extract. I will update this blog when I obtain a copy of the complete paper.
