Truth Fertility

Primary clinical audit: Sustained acupuncture care (2022–2023)

Audit Overview

• Audit type: Retrospective clinical audit
• Audit period: 2022–2023
• Participants: 35 women
• Treatment exposure:
  • Women completed 14 or more acupuncture treatments
  • Male partners (where applicable) completed 4 or more acupuncture treatments
• Primary outcome measured: Pregnancy (natural conception or IVF/ICSI)

This audit was designed to review outcomes following a full course of acupuncture care, reflecting typical clinical recommendations rather than short or sporadic treatment.

Overall Outcomes

Across all ages and conception pathways, 71% of patients achieved pregnancy following a sustained course of acupuncture treatment.

Natural conception outcomes

• Patients attempting natural conception: 18
• Pregnancies achieved: 13
• Overall pregnancy rate: 72%

Age breakdown

• Under 40 years: 69% (9/13)
• Over 40 years: 80% (4/5)

Subgroup numbers are small and should be interpreted with caution.

Assisted reproduction outcomes (IVF / ICSI)

• Patients undergoing IVF or ICSI: 17
• Pregnancies achieved: 11
• Overall pregnancy rate: 65%

Age breakdown

• Under 40 years: 89% (8/9)
• Over 40 years: 37.5% (3/8)

Couples receiving joint treatment

Among couples where both partners received acupuncture care:

• Couples included: 8
• Pregnancies achieved: 6
• Pregnancy rate: 75%

Joint treatment was defined as the woman completing 14 or more sessions and the male partner completing 4 or more sessions.

Interpretation and limitations

This audit reflects outcomes observed in routine clinical practice following sustained acupuncture care. As a retrospective audit:

• There is no untreated comparison group
• Results may reflect self‑selection and treatment adherence
• Outcomes cannot be attributed solely to acupuncture

Nevertheless, the audit provides useful insight into outcomes among patients who engage fully with a course of treatment within our setting.

Archived clinical audit: Early practice data (2017–2018)

The figures below reflect outcomes observed in a defined group of patients receiving care during 2017–2018. They are shared to inform, not to predict individual outcomes.

While the participant number was larger, differences in methodology, patient selection, outcome measures, and clinical protocols mean that outcomes from this audit should not be directly compared with the 2022–2023 audit.

Using anonymised data from 66 patients, our audit observed the following outcomes:

• Among women conceiving naturally following a course of fertility acupuncture, a live birth rate of 60% was observed.
• For women using acupuncture alongside IVF treatment, a live birth rate of 67% was observed.
• In women aged 40 and over who used acupuncture as an adjunct to IVF, a live birth rate of 63% was observed within this cohort.

The audit also suggested positive outcomes among specific patient groups:

• Women with a history of miscarriage or recurrent pregnancy loss showed a 78% live birth rate within the audited group.
• Women with clinically diagnosed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) showed a 60% live birth rate.

These findings reflect outcomes observed within our clinical setting and should be interpreted with caution. They do not imply causation, nor do they replace individualised medical advice.