Table 1.
Basic information of RCTs included.
| Study (year) | Country | Study Design; | Sample Size; | Age (y) | Intervention Group (A); Control Group (B) | Diagnostic criteria | Acupoint | Acupuncture stimulation duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yang (2022) | China | RCT | 109 | (A) 32.06±2.89; (B) 31.40±3.00 | (A) Acupuncture plus COH therapy (n=50); (B) COH therapy (n=59) | The Poseidon standard group 3 | CV4, KI12, CV6, BL23, CV3, ST36, SP6, LR3, KI3 | 30min |
| Zhu (2021) | China | RCT | 86 | (A) 34.25±3.05; (B) 35.53±3.42 | (A) Acupuncture plus IVF (n=42); (B) IVF (n=44) | The Bologna criteria | GV20, LI4, CV4, ST36, SP6, LR3, KI6 | 30min |
| Kim (2021) | Korea | RCT; | 23; | (A) 37.88±3.87; (B) 40.00±3.83 | (A) Acupuncture plus COH therapy (n=12); (B) COH therapy (n=11) | The Bologna criteria | CV3, CV4, EX-CA1, SP6, KI3, SP10, ST36, LR3 | NR |
| Zhou (2019) | China | RCT; | 66; | (A) 34.67±4.85; (B) 34.58±4.00 | (A) Acupuncture plus COH therapy (n=33); (B) COH therapy (n=33) | The Bologna criteria | (1) GV24, LI4, LR3, CV4, ST36; (2) GV20, BL18, BL20, BL23 | 30min |
| Qiu (2012) | China | RCT | 92 | (A) 29.6; (B) 29.8 | (A) TEAS plus COH therapy (n=45); (B) COH therapy (n=47) | Diagnosed POR in (1) or (2) & (3) or (4) (1) Number of oocytes retrieved<5; (2) Number of mature follicles<2~5 on the hCG injection day; (3) Gn used over 17 days and the daily dose of Gn>300IU; (4) The total dose of Gn used in a single ovulation induction cycle≥3500IU |
EX-CA1, GV4, BL23, SP6, ST36, CV4, ST25, SP10, GV3 | NR |
| Chen (2011) | China | RCT; | 80; | (A) 37.1±5.32; (B) 36.6±4.65 | (A) TEAS plus COH therapy (n=40); (B) COH therapy (n=40) | Diagnosed POR in any of the following two (1) Number of bilateral AFC≤5; (2) bFSH≥10IU/L at least twice; or FSH/LH≥3.6; (3) Age≥35 years; (4) History of pelvic surgery |
CV4, CV3, SP6, EX-CA1, ST25, BL23, GV3, GV4 | 30min |
| Chen (2009) | China | RCT; | 60; | (A) 34.33±2.71; (B) 34.60±2.38 | (A) Electroacupuncture plus COH therapy (n=30); (B) COH therapy (n=30) | Diagnosed POR in (1) or (2) & (3) or (4) or (5) (1) Serum E2<1835 pmol/L on the hCG injection day; (2) Number of AFC≤4; (3) Total dose of exogenous Gn: the total dose of Gn used in a single ovulation induction cycle≥3300U; (4) Daily dose of Gn≥300U; (5) Gn used over 15 days during ovulation induction |
CV4, KI3, EX-CA1, SP6, CV3, LR3 | 30min |
RCT, randomized controlled trials; COH, controlled ovarian hyperstimulation; AMH, anti-mullerian hormone; AFC, antral follicle count; MD, mean difference; CI, confidence Intervals; RR, risk ratio; NR, not reported; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; LH, luteinizing hormone; E2, estradiol; TEAS, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation; CPR, Clinical pregnancy rate; Gn, gonadotropin; POR, poor ovarian response.