Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26986137›Full record

Observational studyMedicine2016

Chinese Herbal Products for Female Infertility in Taiwan: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Yu-Chiang Hung, Chao-Wei Kao, Che-Chen Lin, Yen-Nung Liao, Bei-Yu Wu, I-Ling Hung, Wen-Long Hu

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Treatment of Cesarean Scar Pregnancy with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Warming Moxibustion.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. The Efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Female Infertility.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021
    Review
  17. Exploring Reproductive Health Education Needs in Infertile Women in Iran: A Qualitative Study.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2020
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Lived experience of infertility among Hong Kong Chinese women.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2018
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yu-Chiang HungFrom the Department of Chinese Medicine (Y-CH, C-WK, Y-NL, B-YW, I-LH, W-LH), Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University College of Medicine; School of Chinese Medicine for Post Baccalaureate (Y-CH), I-Shou University, Kaohsiung; Management Office for Health Data (C-CL), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung; Fooyin University College of Nursing (W-LH); and Kaohsiung Medical University College of Medicine (W-LH), Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chao-Wei Kao
Che-Chen Lin
Yen-Nung Liao
Bei-Yu Wu
I-Ling Hung
Wen-Long Hu
Kaohsiung Medical University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Female infertility and low birth rate are significant public health issues with profound social, psychological, and economic consequences. Some infertile women resort to conventional, complementary, or alternative therapies to conceive. The aim of this study was to identify the Chinese herbal products (CHPs) most commonly used for female infertility in Taiwan. The usage of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the frequency of CHP prescriptions to infertile women were determined based on a nationwide 1-million randomly sampled cohort of National Health Insurance Research Database beneficiaries. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis were employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for TCM usage and potential risk factors. In total, 8766 women with newly diagnosed infertility were included in this study. Of those, 8430 (96.17%) had sought TCM treatment in addition to visiting the gynecologist. We noted that female infertility patients with risk factors (e.g., endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or irregular menstrual cycle) were more likely to use TCM than those without TCM medication (aOR = 1.83, 1.87, and 1.79, respectively). The most commonly used formula and single CHP were Dang-Gui-Sha-Yao-San (17.25%) and Semen Cuscutae (27.40%), respectively. CHP formula combinations (e.g., Dang-Gui-Sha-Yao-San plus Wen-Jing-Tang 3.10%) or single Chinese herbal combinations (e.g., Semen Cuscutae plus Leonurus japonicus 6.31%) were also commonly used to treat female infertility. Further well-conducted, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies will be needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these CHP combinations for female infertility.

Indexed as

PhytotherapyAdultCohort StudiesDrugs, Chinese HerbalFemaleHumansInfertility, FemaleDrugs, Chinese Herbal

Identifiers

PMID26986137
PMCPMC4839918
OpenAlexW2336836458

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.