None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Infertility can lead to emotional distress which may place some people at risk of developing a mental health problem. The use of complimentary and alternative therapies are growing in popularity and there is some evidence that acupuncture may increase pregnancy rates in women undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). Research findings suggest acupuncture given to women when trying to get pregnant may also lead to an improvement in their emotional well being, and that women may cope better with their IVF treatment. We propose to undertake a pilot randomised controlled trial of acupuncture to explore these effects.
Interventions
Acupuncture which will follow a protocol that will involve a traditional acupuncture diagnostic assessment. The treatment plan will incorporate the five element acupuncture points focussing on emotional well being. Acupuncture will be applied bilaterally, needles will be inserted to tissue level and stimulated manually to elicit the 'de qi' response. Acupuncture needles may be inserted in arms, legs and/or chest region. A total of six treatments of 40 minutes duration will be administered appro
Acupuncture which will follow a protocol that will involve a traditional acupuncture diagnostic assessment. The treatment plan will incorporate the five element acupuncture points focussing on emotional well being. Acupuncture will be applied bilaterally, needles will be inserted to tissue level and stimulated manually to elicit the 'de qi' response. Acupuncture needles may be inserted in arms, legs and/or chest region. A total of six treatments of 40 minutes duration will be administered approximately every week and a half over a two month period.
Sponsors
Centre for Complementary Medicine Research (CompleMED), University of Western Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Women with a diagnosis of infertility and/or history of unsuccessfully trying to conceive for 12 months or more. The ability to read and write english. Ability to provide informed written consent.
Exclusion criteria
Current involvement in a professionally led infertility support group or workshop planned in the next two months, planning to use acupuncture in the next four months
Outcome results
None listed