Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29764413›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2018

Evidence for the use of complementary and alternative medicines during fertility treatment: a scoping review.

Skye A Miner, Stephanie Robins, Yu Jia Zhu, Kathelijne Keeren, Vivian Gu, Suzanne C Read, Phyllis Zelkowitz

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  16. The Efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Female Infertility.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021
    Review
  17. The Effect of N-Acetyl-Cysteine onInternational journal of fertility & sterility · 2020
    Article
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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.

Skye A MinerDepartment of Sociology, McGill University, Room 712, Leacock Building, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T7, Canada.
Stephanie RobinsDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
Yu Jia ZhuDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
Kathelijne KeerenDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
Vivian GuDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
Suzanne C ReadDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
Phyllis ZelkowitzDepartment of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, 4333 Chemin de la Cote-Ste-Catherine, Room 223, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada. phyllis.zelkowitz@mcgill.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1965-5731

Funding

Institute of Gender and Health TE1-138296
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundComplementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are sometimes used by individuals who desire to improve the outcomes of their fertility treatment and/or mental health during fertility treatment. However, there is little comprehensive information available that analyzes various CAM methods across treatment outcomes and includes information that is published in languages other than English.

methodThis scoping review examines the evidence for 12 different CAM methods used to improve female and male fertility outcomes as well as their association with improving mental health outcomes during fertility treatment. Using predefined key words, online medical databases were searched for articles (n = 270). After exclusion criteria were applied, 148 articles were analyzed in terms of their level of evidence and the potential for methodological and author bias.

resultsSurveying the literature on a range of techniques, this scoping review finds a lack of high quality evidence that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) improves fertility or mental health outcomes for men or women. Acupuncture has the highest level of evidence for its use in improving male and female fertility outcomes although this evidence is inconclusive.

conclusionOverall, the quality of the evidence across CAM methods was poor not only because of the use of research designs that do not yield conclusive results, but also because results were contradictory. There is a need for more research using strong methods such as randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of CAM in relation to fertility treatment, and to help physicians and patients make evidence-based decisions about CAM use during fertility treatment.

Indexed as

Complementary TherapiesAcupuncture TherapyFemaleHumansInfertilityMaleReproductive HealthAcupunctureComplementary and alternative medicineInfertility treatmentMental healthReproductive healthScoping review

Identifiers

PMID29764413
PMCPMC5952848

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.