Xiangping Peng 1,*,†,  Bo Wu 2,†, Siyu Zhou 3, Yinghan Xu 4, Atsushi Ogihara 5, Shoji Nishimura 5, Qun Jin 5 and  Gerhard Litscher 6,*

 

1  Advanced Research Center for Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan

2  School of Computer Science, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji 192-0982, Japan

3  School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China

4  Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan

5  Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan

6  Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SWISS TCM UNI), High-Tech Acupuncture and Digital Chinese Medicine, 5330 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland

*  Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

†  X.P. and B.W. are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work.

 

Healthcare 2025, 13(11), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111326

Submission received: 19 April 2025 / Revised: 26 May 2025 / Accepted: 26 May 2025 / Published: 3 June 2025

 

 

Abstract

Background: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are essential in treating infertility but often face limited success due to low implantation and live birth rates. East Asian traditional medicine (EATM), including acupuncture and herbal medicine (HM), may enhance physiological responses during ART cycles. This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of EATM in improving clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes in women undergoing ART. Methods: This review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023411712), systematically searched 11 databases up to 31 March 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing EATM interventions to control groups. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two authors. Meta-analysis used the inverse-variance method in Stata 12.0. A total of 37 RCTs involving 10,776 women (aged 29–38) were analyzed. Studies addressed infertility causes including polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal blockage, diminished ovarian reserve, and unexplained infertility. Acupuncture therapies included body, electro-, laser, and auricular acupuncture. Herbal treatments were administered as powders, pills, granules, decoctions, and ointments based on traditional Chinese formulas. Results: EATM interventions were associated with significant improvements in clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Acupuncture increased clinical pregnancy rates (CPR: RR 1.316, 95% CI 1.171–1.480) and live birth rates (LBR: RR 1.287, 95% CI 1.081–1.533). HM also enhanced CPRs (RR 1.184) and LBRs (RR 1.147). Subgroup analysis showed true acupuncture and HM were more effective than sham or placebo. No significant differences in adverse events were found. Conclusions: EATM, particularly acupuncture and HM, appears to be a safe and effective complementary therapy that can be used to improve ART outcomes. Future research should focus on developing standardized acupuncture and herbal protocols to optimize integration with ART.

 

Keywords: 

assisted reproductive technology; East Asian traditional medicine; infertility; integrative medicine; systematic review and meta-analysis; clinical pregnancy rates; live birth rates; in vitro fertilization; randomized controlled trials

 

 

The article is available online at the following links:

Website: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/13/11/1326

PDF Version: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/13/11/1326/pdf