Can complementary/alternative medicine be used to treat infertility?

Abstract

Infertility affects more than 7.3 million American women. When traditional treatments fail, alternative methods may be sought, but unfortunately some of them could be exploitative rather than legitimate. The intent of this article is to examine various complementary alternative medicine (CAM) treatments and techniques, and assess their known efficacy in the treatment of infertility. For research purposes, the National Institutes of Health has divided CAM into five domains: (1) whole medical systems; (2) mind-body medicine; (3) biologically based practices; (4) manipulative and body-based practices; and (5) energy medicine. Each of these domains is defined and discussed. Scientific evidence relating to the efficacy of procedures is presented and correlated to fertility outcomes. Information for nursing interventions is included as a means of better understanding what the infertile couple needs.