Acupuncture-assisted embryo transfer techniques: Research frontiers and future directions

Table 1 Key indicators and analysis of clinical studies

Index	Unit	Sample size	Trial population	Acupoint selection	Controls	Results
Pregnancy rate	Ataturk University of Erzurum, Turkey	72	The mean age of infertile women undergoing IVF was 30.9 years ± 3.7 years	First stage: H7, GV20. Second stage: CV3, GV20, 1IV3, ST30, SP8. Third stage: LI4, SP6, ST36	Insert the needle to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Keep it for 30 minutes	CPR increased. The pregnancy rate was 63.9% in the acupuncture group and 33.3% in the control group
Success rate of IVF	Medical University of Shiraz, Iran	186	Women undergoing IVF treatment	HT7, PC6, RN6, DU20, SP6, RN4	Electroacupuncture	Significantly increase the success rate of IVF and improve the CPR
Oocyte quality	Shandong University of Chinese Medicine	60	Elderly women undergoing IVF	RN12, RN4, DU20, KI3, BL23, SP6, LR3, ST25, BL32	Insert the needle 10-30 mm, once every ten minutes, and stay for 30 minutes before each removal	Effectively improve the quality of female oocytes and improve the pregnancy outcome of IVF-embryo transfer
Planting rate	Faculty of Medicine of ABC, Clinic for Human Reproduction, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil	84	Infertile patients who have had at least two failed IVF treatment	BL18, BL22, BL23, BL52, CV3, CV4, CV5, CV7, GV4	Combine acupuncture with moxibustion	The pregnancy rate in the acupuncture group was 35.7%, significantly higher than the 71% in the control group and 10.7% in the sham acupuncture group
Mental state	Ataturk University of Erzurum, Turkey	72	Infertile women with an average age of 30.9 years ± 3.7 years who underwent IVF	First stage: H7, GV20. Second stage: CV3, GV20, 1IV3, ST30, SP-8. Third stage: LI4, SP6, ST-36	Insert the needle to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Allow it to remain in place for 30 minutes	Relieve anxiety and stress before embryo transfer and improve the probability of embryo transfer success

CPR: Clinical pregnancy rate; IVF: In vitro fertilization.