Needle-Free acupuncture may ease pain during IVF egg retrieval
NCT ID NCT06910540
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a technique called acu-TENS, which uses mild electrical pulses on acupuncture points, can reduce pain and stress during transvaginal egg retrieval for IVF. 144 women will be randomly assigned to receive real acu-TENS or a sham version. The main goal is to see if pain scores drop by at least 50% compared to sham.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Acupuncture-type transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (acu-TENS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to reduce pain and stress during egg retrieval for IVF.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial. The sham control may also provide some relief, and the effect may not be large enough to change practice.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 144 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Women undergoing IVF-ET cycles are to be recruited from the Assisted Reproduction Technology unit in the Prince of Wales Hospital Exclusion Criteria: * Patient not eligible for acu-TENS * Patient with severe cardiac and respiratory disease history * Smoker or drinker * Refuse or incompetence for informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Chung Pui Wah, Jacqueline
RECRUITINGHong Kong, China
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