de Lacey Sheryl, Sanderman Elizabeth, Smith Caroline A
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia.
National Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Reprod Biomed Soc Online. 2020 Oct 1;12:22-31. doi: 10.1016/j.rbms.2020.08.004. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Infertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) are stressful and challenging to mental health and well-being. The use of alternative therapies adjunct to IVF treatment, such as acupuncture, is common and women hope to improve their chance of pregnancy and live birth. While many women engage in acupuncture adjunct to IVF in Australia, few qualitative studies of women's motivations and experiences have been conducted in this field. A qualitative study was nested within a randomized controlled trial of acupuncture during IVF treatment in order to explore women's perceptions of acupuncture, its effects in the context of IVF treatment, and how acupuncture is perceived in relation to the outcome of IVF. Fifty women randomized into both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups were interviewed using a semi-structured format. In-depth interviews were transcribed, coded and categorized in a theoretical thematic analysis. Two primary themes emerged: 'psychological benefit' and 'perceived influence of acupuncture on fertility/medical outcome'. Regardless of randomization, women in both groups described similar psychological effects suggesting that a placebo effect was present. They were not convinced that acupuncture could enhance their treatment outcome through biomedical pathways. Rather, they perceived that acupuncture or sham acupuncture gave them a psychological advantage through increased relaxation, reduced psychological stress, and enhanced well-being and self-efficacy. In conclusion, there are significant features associated with a placebo effect in acupuncture that might be exploited to provide psychological benefit for women undertaking IVF.
体外受精（IVF）等不孕症治疗方法对心理健康和幸福感来说既充满压力又具有挑战性。辅助体外受精治疗使用替代疗法，如针灸，很常见，女性希望借此提高怀孕和活产的几率。在澳大利亚，许多女性在体外受精时会接受针灸治疗，但在这个领域，针对女性动机和经历的定性研究却很少。一项定性研究嵌套在体外受精治疗期间针灸的随机对照试验中，旨在探究女性对针灸的看法、其在体外受精治疗背景下的效果，以及针灸与体外受精结果之间的关系。采用半结构化形式对随机分为针灸组和假针灸组的50名女性进行了访谈。深入访谈的内容经过转录、编码，并在理论主题分析中进行了分类。出现了两个主要主题：“心理益处”和“针灸对生育/医疗结果的感知影响”。无论随机分组情况如何，两组女性都描述了相似的心理效果，这表明存在安慰剂效应。她们不相信针灸能通过生物医学途径提高治疗效果。相反，她们认为针灸或假针灸通过增加放松感、减轻心理压力、增强幸福感和自我效能感，给了她们心理上的优势。总之，针灸中存在与安慰剂效应相关的显著特征，或许可以利用这些特征为接受体外受精的女性提供心理益处。
