Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) may help improve IVF outcomes, according to a study by Chinese and British researchers. Four hundred and eighty-one infertile patients with bilateral tubal blockage who were referred for IVF were randomised into four groups; a TEAS-2Hz group, a TEAS-100Hz group, a TEAS-2/100Hz group and a control group who received routine IVF treatment only. TEAS (which uses self-adhesive electrodes instead of needles to stimulate acupoints) was administered once for 30 minutes, 24 hours before transvaginal oocyte retrieval, and once two hours before embryo transfer (ET). Acupoints included bilateral Xuehai SP-10, Diji SP-8, Taichong LIV-3, Zusanli ST-36, Zigong M-CA-18, Guanyuan REN-4, Neiguan P-6 and Zhongwan REN-12. No significant differences were found between the control and TEAS groups for markers of embryo quality. However, the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR) and live birth rate (LBR) were all significantly higher in the TEAS-2/100Hz compared with the other groups. Levels of neuropeptide Y (a key factor for follicular growth, ovulation and regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis) in the follicular fluids of TEAS-2/100Hz group were also found to be significantly higher than those of the other groups.
Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Improves the Outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization: A Prospective, Randomized and Controlled Study.
Explore (NY). 2017 Sep – Oct;13(5):306-312.
Quelle: www.jcm.co.uk