Research has indicated that women who use complementary or alternative therapies (CATs) while trying to conceive by assisted reproduction are less likely to get pregnant than those who use conventional medicine alone.

A study of 818 Danish fertility patients undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments revealed that pregnancy rates were around 20 per cent lower among users of alternative medicine – such as acupuncture or reflexology – than among those who didn’t use such therapies.

Dr Jacky Boivin of Cardiff University in the UK, who led the research, said: “Women who used complementary therapies during their IVF treatments were more distressed and emotionally affected by their fertility problems than non-users.

“It may be that complementary therapies diminish the effectiveness of medical interventions. Or it may simply be that persistent treatment failure encourages women to seek out complementary and alternative therapies.”

The study was conducted in conjunction with the University of Copenhagen. The team, led by Dr Boivin, will follow up its research over the next five years in order to assess pregnancy rates over a longer period.

Photograph: www.istockphoto.com/Greg Blomberg