NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF) may be more likely to become pregnant if they incorporate acupuncture into their treatment, preliminary study findings suggest.

IVF involves harvesting a woman's eggs, which are then fertilized with a man's sperm in the laboratory. The resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus.

According to the report, about 26% of women who did not receive acupuncture became pregnant, compared with nearly 43% of women who underwent the traditional Chinese therapy 25 minutes before and again 25 minutes after embryo transfer. There were no differences in age, number of transferred embryos or the number of previous cycles between the two groups of patients, report researchers in the April issue of Fertility and Sterility.

Acupuncture involves placing fine needles in specific points on the body's surface. Traditional theory holds that these points connect with energy pathways or meridians that run through the body, and acupuncture helps keep this natural energy flow running smoothly.

In the study, women received acupuncture along the spleen and stomach meridians in an attempt to relax the uterus and improve the flow of energy to this region. They also received acupuncture needles in their ears to stabilize the endocrine system.

"The results demonstrate that acupuncture therapy improves pregnancy rate," conclude Dr. Wolfgang E. Paulus and colleagues from Christian-Lauritzen-Institut in Ulm, Germany.

However, more research is needed determine whether the higher pregnancy rate among women receiving acupuncture was due to actual physiological or psychological effects, they add.

"If these findings are confirmed, they may help us improve the odds for our IVF patients, Dr. Sandra Carson, president-elect of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility 2002;77:721-724.

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