Acupuncture 'helps women to become pregnant'

Women undergoing fertility treatment stand a better chance of becoming pregnant if they receive acupuncture than those who do not, according to a new study. Researchers from the university of Southampton conducted the study on more than 2,000 women suffering from fertility problems and found that those who were given the ancient Chinese therapy alongside their IVF treatment had a one in three chance of successfully conceiving. Meanwhile, one in five women who did not receive acupuncture conceived.

The study found that acupuncture was most effective if administered at about the same time as the embryo transfer took place.

However, no benefit was noted if acupuncture was given after the fertility treatment.

Dr Ying Cheong, from the university's reproductive medicine unit, who led the research, said: "Our research is good news, because it shows that acupuncture can help with fertility in patients undergoing IVF.

"We show that acupuncture, performed at the right stage, can have significant benefit. A woman who does so has a much greater chance of having a live birth than a woman who doesn't have acupuncture."

The practice of acupuncture involves inserting very fine needles into the body's "energy channels" and therapists claim that this can stimulate the natural healing system.