Abstract
Background and Significance: Acupuncture is based on patterns of energy flow (Qi) through a network of meridians. Maintenance of Qi is essential for health, while blockage may provoke disease. Acupuncture works by unblocking the various types of stagnation that can occur along these channels. After Paulus et al. demonstrated the benefit of acupuncture to IVF (Fertil Steril Apr 2002), many IVF centers began offering these services. Results: Seventeen subjects were enrolled and seven subjects completed both arms of the study. The mean age was 36.2 years (range 28–41 years). The mean Day 3 FSH=6.8 IU (range 3–13 IU). There were four ongoing pregnancies after the first cycle, equally distributed. Seven subjects were crossed over after the first cycle. Of these, four from the standard acupuncture group and one from the sham acupuncture group attained pregnancy. Two subjects of the standard acupuncture group were on-going pregnancies and one from the sham group. Only the sham group had two IVF cancellations. An unpaired Mann-Whitney test using a two-sided p value was performed.