Acupuncture 'can help IVF'

Fertility experts have championed acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines, saying they can boost the success rate of IVF, according to a report in the Herald. The advice from the experts, who were attending an event in Edinburgh for the 30th anniversary of IVF, goes against a recent study claiming that acupuncture does not improve the likelihood of getting pregnant. But fertility awareness practitioner and event organiser Juliet le Page said in the Herald: "When you look at all the IVF clinics in the UK, NHS or private, there is only one I think which employs an alternative therapist who works in conjunction with the gynaecologists and their success rate certainly seems to be better than average."

Saying that the medical field was focused on their own conventional medicine, she added: "They don't look to see what else could be done."

The study, presented Dr Sesh Sunkara from Guy and St Thomas' NHS Trust in London to the European Society of Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona last week, found that acupuncture did not affect pregnancy rate, and even the possibility of a 'placebo' effect was ruled out.

Dr Sunkara warned: "Women are investing emotion and time into something that has not shown any definite benefit."

Acupuncture can also cost hundreds of pounds.

However, the study did not look into the possibility of acupuncture helping to relieve pain.