Center for Complementary Medicine Research, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown Campus, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia.
J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Apr;17(4):329-37. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0190.
The influence of acupuncture on female fertility is of interest to people in clinical practice and acupuncture researchers. Despite developing research in the field, there is a marked absence of research defining an adequate treatment to support and treat women experiencing delays in conceiving.
The aims of this study were to develop a consensus among acupuncture fertility specialists on what is adequate acupuncture treatment to promote female fertility in the periconception period; to examine what acupuncturists do in a consultation; to examine their actions and their exchanges with their patients; and to finalize an acupuncture intervention for a clinical trial of fertility problems.
An online consensus-building technique was used among acupuncturists who are recognized experts in the field of women's reproductive health. The 10 subjects were selected on the basis of their published work with respect to treating female fertility problems or on the recommendation of researchers who had published articles in this discipline. All 10 subjects currently, or until recently, treated (some exclusively) women facing fertility problems using acupuncture as one of the modalities to address these problems.
Although the participants were relatively diverse, a consensus emerged regarding the best way to provide acupuncture to women with fertility problems. Along the way, a rich vein of qualitative data emerged about the way in which acupuncture is applied. These data included, for example, the high value placed on differential diagnosis and the importance of the practitioner-patient relationship for the therapeutic outcome.
Consensus building among experts provides a transparent method of protocol development suited to acupuncture research that will then hold relevance to clinical practice.
针灸对女性生育能力的影响引起了临床实践和针灸研究人员的关注。尽管该领域的研究不断发展，但缺乏明确的研究来定义适当的治疗方法，以支持和治疗那些受孕困难的女性。
本研究旨在就促进生育期女性生育能力的适当针灸治疗方案达成共识；考察针灸师在咨询中的具体做法；并考察他们的行动及其与患者的交流；最终确定一个针灸干预方案，以进行生育问题的临床试验。
在被公认为女性生殖健康领域专家的针灸师中，采用在线共识建立技术。根据他们在治疗女性生育问题方面的发表作品，或根据在该学科发表文章的研究人员的推荐，选择了 10 名受试者。这 10 名受试者目前（或最近）都在使用针灸作为解决这些问题的一种方法来治疗面临生育问题的女性。
尽管参与者相对多样化，但在为有生育问题的女性提供针灸治疗的最佳方式方面达成了共识。在此过程中，涌现出大量关于针灸应用方式的定性数据。这些数据包括，例如，对鉴别诊断的高度重视以及从业者与患者关系对治疗效果的重要性。
专家共识的建立为适合针灸研究的方案制定提供了一种透明的方法，该方法也将与临床实践相关。
