Acupuncture and
Good Prognosis IVF Patients: Synergy
Acupuncture, Infertility, & IVF Research - Medical Articles
P. C. Magarelli, D. K. Cridennda, M. Cohen.
Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center, Colorado
Springs, CO; East Winds Acupuncture, Inc., Colorado
Springs, CO.
FERTILITY AND STERILITY®, Proceedings from the 2004 ASRM
meeting in Philadelphia
Objective: To determine the role of electro
stimulation acupuncture and traditional combined with
auricular acupuncture on IVF outcomes in good prognosis
patients.
Design: Retrospective case controlled clinical
study. Acupuncture Consortium for treatment
standardization. Reproductive Endocrinology &
Infertility IVF Private Practice and Traditional Chinese
Medicine Acupuncture Clinics.
Materials and Methods: One hundred fourteen
infertile patients undergoing controlled ovarian
hyperstimulation with gonadotropins and GnRH agonist and antagonist for IVF-ET
(2001 to 2003) in private practice IVF clinic. Only IVF
patients with normal Day 3 FSH, normal uterine artery
pulsatility indices, sperm morphologies over 7% normal
by Kruger Strict Criteria and good response to ovarian
hyperstimulation protocols (i.e., E2 over 2000 pg/ml)
were analyzed. Intervention (s): Electrostimulation
acupuncture - reduction of Pulsatility Index (PI) of the
uterine artery and Traditional combined with Auricular
acupuncture - Pre/Post embryo transfer protocols were
used alone or in combination and resultant pregnancy
outcomes were measured after IVF treatments. Main Outcome Measure(s): Cycles were grouped
according to those that received No Acupuncture (Non-Ac)
and those that received either one or both acupuncture
treatments (Ac). Comparisons were made between
Acupuncture treated IVF patients and Non-Acupuncture
treated IVF patients in clinical pregnancies, ongoing
pregnancies and birth outcomes. The statistics used for
this analysis included; Tests for normal distribution:
chi-square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test Unpaired
T-tests Stepwise Multiple regression Variance ratio test
(F-Test) One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with
Student-Newman- Keuls (SNK) test for pair wise
comparison of subgroups.
Results: Total IVF cases 114, 53 with Acupuncture
(Ac) and 61 without Acupuncture (Non-Ac). Demographics,
Infertility Diagnoses, and Treatment Protocols were
statistically the same between both groups and by
design, the following parameters were similar: Sperm
Morphology; Peak Day 3 FSH; Average Pulsatility Index;
Peak E2 at hCG; and Post hCG P4. These parameters earned the designation of Good Prognosis
group. Preg- S80 Abstracts Vol. 82, Suppl. 2, September
2004 nancy rates (PR) and Miscarriage rates (SAB) were
statistically improved at the p < 0.05 levels in those
patients that received Acupuncture (51% v 36% PR and 8%
v 20% SAB in the AC v Non-Ac groups). There were no
ectopic pregnancies in the Ac group and 9% in the Non-Ac
group, p < 0.008. Finally, Birth rates (BR) per cycle
start and per pregnancy were significantly higher in the
Ac group, with 23% more births/pregnancy significant at
the p < 0.05 level.
Conclusion: The use of adjunctive therapies in
IVF protocols is gaining popularity. In previously
published data, Acupuncture was reserved for Poorer
Prognosis patients and enhanced outcomes were observed.
In this study, we demonstrated that Good Prognosis
patients would also benefit from inclusion of published
Acupuncture protocols. This is also the first
publication of Birth outcome data in Acupuncture treated
IVF patients. Acupuncture significantly increased birth
outcomes; it significantly decreased ectopic pregnancies
and miscarriage rates. These data uniquely support a
definitive role of both Electrostimulation and
Traditional combined with Auricular Acupuncture in IVF
in Good Prognosis IVF patients. Supported by: None.
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