There is currently no evidence that having acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine treatment around the time of assisted reproduction, such as IVF, increases the likelihood of becoming pregnant, the British Fertility Society has said.

It has issued new guidelines in the journal, Human Fertility, on the use of these complementary therapies.

An estimated one in seven couples in the developed world has problems conceiving. In order to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, the guideline authors carried out a thorough review of all published trials that looked at the effectiveness of these treatments when carried out in conjunction with fertility treatment.

In relation to Chinese herbal medicine, they found no published randomised controlled trials showing its effectiveness. From this, they concluded that there is no evidence to support its use in conjunction with fertility treatment.

In relation to acupuncture, the researchers looked at 14 trials involving 2,670 people. The trials were split into three categories depending on the time when acupuncture was administered - around the time of egg removal, on the day of embryo transfer or on the day of embryo transfer and again two to three days later.

The researchers examined the effect of acupuncture treatment on the live birth rate, clinical pregnancy rate and the miscarriage rate compared to controls.

They found no significant difference in the live birth rate, clinical pregnancy rate or miscarriage rate between the women who had received acupuncture and those who had not. The results held true irrespective of the time when acupuncture was undertaken.

The guidelines concluded that there is no evidence of benefit or harm to patients from receiving acupuncture around the time of assisted reproduction.

According to Prof Adam Balen of the British Fertility Society, before any treatment can be accepted into mainstream medicine and used on patients, ‘it is essential that it has been tested in randomised controlled trials to ensure that it does actually work and does not cause any harmful side-effects’.

“Following a thorough analysis of the evidence, the British Fertility Society concludes that there is currently no evidence that acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine, when used in conjunction with assisted fertility treatment, have any beneficial effect on live birth rate, pregnancy rate or miscarriage rate. Patients should be made aware of this fact before commencing treatment,” he said.