The Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Headaches in Women Undergoing IVF Egg Stimulation

May 7, 2026 updated by: Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Headaches in Women Undergoing IVF Egg Stimulation: A Pilot Pre-Post Observational Study

To test the effect of acupuncture in treating headaches, as well as co-measures of stress and emotional distress, in participants during the hormonal stimulation phase prior to an oocyte retrieval. Subjects were identified females at birth experiencing a headache while undergoing a hormone stimulation cycle as part of in vitro fertilization or oocyte cryopreservation. Intervention was an individualized acupuncture treatment with needle retention for thirty minutes. Main outcome measured were headache intensity, level of stress, level of emotional distress.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

37

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Beverly Hills, California, United States, 90210
        • Southern California Reproductive Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • adult biological female
  • participating in an active hormone stimulation cycle
  • receiving acupuncture treatment for fertility support at SCRC in Beverly Hills with the second investigator
  • experiencing a headache

Exclusion Criteria:

  • participants undergoing a medicated IUI

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Acupuncture
Acupuncture treatment with 30 minute needle retention
Procedure: Acupuncture
Acupuncture treatment with 30 minute needle retention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Headache Intensity
Time Frame: Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)
Level of headache intensity scored on a scale of 0-10
Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Stress
Time Frame: Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)
Level of stress reported by the participant scored on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being defined as "no stress" and 10 being defined as "the highest possible stress"
Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)
Emotional Distress
Time Frame: Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)
Level of emotional distress reported by the participant scored on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being defined as "no stress" and 10 being defined as "the highest possible stress"
Change from before intervention to after intervention for any number of acupuncture treatments over the length of a stimulation cycle (about 2 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 27, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 22, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 30, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 7, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 20230222C12

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Headache

Clinical Trials on Acupuncture

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Myanmar

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe