Effect of warming acupuncture on uterine blood perfusion in patients with failed high-quality freeze-thawed embryo transfer / 中国针灸

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of warming acupuncture on uterine blood perfusion in the patients with failed high-quality freeze-thawed embryo transfer (FET) and explore its effect mechanism on the improvement of clinical pregnancy rate after re-tranfer.@*METHODS@#A total of 72 patients of failed high-quality FET were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 36 cases in each one. In the observation group, after the menstrual period ended, warming acupuncture started at the acupoints located on the abdomen, e.g. Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Zhongji (CV 3) and Qugu (CV 2) and those on the lumbar sacral region, e.g. Shenshu (BL 23), Mingmen (GV 4) and Yaoyangguan (GV 3), 50 min in each treatment, once daily, at the interval of 1 day after 4-day treatment. The treatment was discontinued till the patients were at the ovulatory stage. In the control group, capsules were taken orally and continuously after the end of menstrual period, 3 capsules each time, three times a day and stopped at the ovulatory stage. The treatment of one menstrual cycle was taken as one course and the treatment for 3 menstrual cycles was required. Before and after treatment, the uterine artery pulsation index (PI), endometrial thickness, endometrial type, uterine blood perfusion, the recovery time of sufficient uterine blood flow, the endomentrial receptivity (ER) during the implantation window period and the clinical pregnancy rate were observed in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the endometrial thickness was increased and PI decreased obviously in the two groups (<0.05) and PI in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (<0.05). After treatment, the proportion of type a and type A of endometrium was increased markedly in the two groups (<0.05) and the proportion in the observation group was higher than the control group (<0.05). After treatment, the case proportion of sufficient uterine blood flow was increased obviously in the two groups (<0.05) and the value in the observation group was higher than the control group [83.3% (30/36) vs 69.4% (25/36), <0.05]. After treatment, the proportion of ER during the implantation window period was increased remarkably in the two groups (<0.05) and the value in the observation group was higher than the control group [72.2% (26/36) vs 50.0% (18/36), <0.05]. The recovery time of sufficient uterine blood flow in the observation group was shorter than the control group (<0.05) and the clinical pregnancy rate was higher than the control group [47.2% (17/36) vs 33.3% (12/36), <0.05].@*CONCLUSION@#Warming acupuncture enhances uterine blood perfusion and improves uterine endometrial receptivity so that the clinical pregnancy rate is increased after re-transfer in the patients with failed high-quality freeze-thawed embryo transfer.