Laser acupuncture may aid implantation in IVF: the rate of implantation was 34% in the laser acupuncture group vs. 25%-30% in other groups.(NEWS)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Laser acupuncture before and after embryo transfer significantly improved implantation rates in a randomized, placebo-controlled, multiarm trial of in vitro fertilization.

In 1,000 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) who were randomized to receive either laser acupuncture (using a low-power laser that provided the equivalent of 5 J/[cm.sup.2]), traditional needle acupuncture, laser sham acupuncture, relaxation therapy, or no treatment, the rate of implantation was significantly higher at 34% in the laser acupuncture group, compared with the other groups, which had implantation rates ranging from 25% to 30% (see bar chart), Dr. J. L. Fratterelli reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Compared with the sham group, the implantation rate in the laser acupuncture group was significantly better (odds ratio 1.26), and the clinical pregnancy rate also was higher (55% vs. 44%), although not significantly so, said Dr. Fratterelli in group practice in Morristown, N. J.

Outcomes in the needle acupuncture group were similar to those in the sham and relaxation groups, he noted.

All interventions occurred at 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer. Women in the relaxation group listened to soft music in a quiet setting. Those in the two acupuncture and the sham groups received treatment at five acupoints before embryo transfer and at four acupoints after transfer.

Although studies have varied widely in terms of the acupoints used for acupuncture, the most commonly used acupoints found in the literature were used in this study.

The study was double blinded in that the laser was preprogrammed per case to either fire (study group patients) or not fire (sham group patients); the acupuncturist was not able to determine if the laser fired.