Acupuncture needles may boost IVF success for hopeful moms
NCT ID NCT04533295
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether acupuncture can improve pregnancy rates for women who have had multiple failed IVF attempts. About 771 women will be split into three groups: real acupuncture plus IVF, fake (sham) acupuncture plus IVF, or IVF alone. The goal is to see if adding acupuncture makes a real difference in achieving pregnancy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- acupuncture
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a low-risk, drug-free option to improve IVF success for women with recurrent implantation failure.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-sized trial, but acupuncture's effect on IVF is debated; previous studies have shown mixed results, and the sham control may also produce benefits.
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 771 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
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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25 to 40 years
- 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.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Married women aged 25-40; 2. Repeated implantation failure for unknown reasons (experienced 2 or more embryo transfers of good-quality embryos without achieving clinical pregnancy); 3. Transplantable Day 3 high-quality frozen embryos or frozen blastocysts (≥3BB); 4. Estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy (HRT), endometrial thickness ≥7mm on the day of endometrial transformation. Exclusion Criteria: Patients who met any of the following conditions were not included. 1. Those who prepare for PGD; 2. Recipients of egg donors; 3. Chromosomal abnormalities in both or one of the couples (excluding chromosome polymorphism); 4. patients with implantation failure due to known embryonic factors; 5. Uterine lesions that may affect implantation (including uterine malformation, \>4cm intramural fibroids，submucosal fibroids, adenomyosis, uterine tuberculosis, intrauterine adhesions, etc. 6. Repeated spontaneous abortion (2 or more fetal loss before 28 weeks of gestation); 7. Patients with other endocrine diseases, such as thyroid disease, hyperprolactinemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, adrenal disease, etc., and poor control of hormone levels in the last 3 months; 8. Clearly diagnosed autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, etc.; 9. Hydrosalpinx untreated; 10. BMI less than 18 or higher than 25kg/m2; 11. People with previous history of needle sickness; 12. Those who have previously participated in this study or received acupuncture treatment in the past 3 months. 13. Any situation that researchers consider inappropriate for participating in this study.
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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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Tongji Hospital,Tongji medical college,HUST
RECRUITINGWuhan, Hubei, 430030, China