The “Paulus” study from 2002 demonstrated that acupuncture performed in the IVF clinic before and after an embryo transfer increased pregnancy rates. There have been many attempts to recreate the “Paulus” protocol around embryo transfer using the same or similar acupuncture points. Some were able to reproduce and some failed.
There are known reasons for failures. One is that they compare to “sham acupuncture”. There is no “sham acupuncture” as it will still have effects on outcome. “Sham acupuncture” is not the equivalent of taking a ‘sugar pill’. Acupuncture should only be compared with a no acupuncture group not a fake acupuncture.
Another failure is how the statistics were evaluated. In one case the number of pregnancies did not increase, but the number of live births did increase.
A recent systematic review concluded that “…acupuncture may be effective when compared with no adjunctive treatment…[leading to] increased clinical pregnancies”. This study looked at all the available randomized control studies where acupuncture was administered during an IVF cycle. You can download the complete review study here.
However, acupuncture is just one branch of Chinese Medicine and there is a lot more than can be done to increase your fertility chances as well as improve your health. A comprehensive combination of Acupuncture, Chinese Medicinal herbs, and Lifestyle has been shown to help increase live births. There is a reason one is not getting pregnant and correcting the imbalances will lead to a healthier pregnancy and offspring.
References
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Hullender Rubin LE1, Opsahl MS, Taylor-Swanson L, Ackerman DL.
Acupuncture and in vitro fertilization: a retrospective chart review. J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Jul;19(7):637-43. PMID:
23363307.
[PubMed] [Read by QxMD] In 2007, Craig et al. reported the results of a randomized controlled trial in which a standardized acupuncture protocol performed on the day of embryo transfer (ET) resulted in lower pregnancy rates after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Between 2005 and 2007, the Craig protocol was used by one of the authors (LHR) at an infertility clinic unaffiliated with the Craig et al. trial. The objective was to retrospectively review clinic records to evalua […] 3.
Smith CA1, Armour M2, Shewamene Z2, Tan HY3, Norman RJ4, Johnson NP5.
Acupuncture performed around the time of embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Reprod Biomed Online. 2019 Mar;38(3):364-379. PMID:
30658892.
[PubMed] [Read by QxMD] This was a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of acupuncture as an adjunct to embryo transfer compared with controls to improve reproductive outcomes. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy. Twenty trials and 5130 women were included in the review. The meta-analysis found increased pregnancies (risk ratio [RR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.62, 12 trials, 2230 women), live births ( […] 4.
Hullender Rubin LE1, Opsahl MS2, Wiemer KE2, Mist SD3, Caughey AB3.
Impact of whole systems traditional Chinese medicine on in-vitro fertilization outcomes. Reprod Biomed Online. 2015 Jun;30(6):602-12. PMID:
25911598.
[PubMed] [Read by QxMD] Patients undergoing IVF may receive either acupuncture or whole-systems traditional Chinese medicine (WS-TCM) as an adjuvant IVF treatment. WS-TCM is a complex intervention that can include acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary, lifestyle recommendations. In this retrospective cohort study, 1231 IVF patient records were reviewed to assess the effect of adjuvant WS-TCM on IVF outcomes compared among three groups: IVF with no additional tre […] 
