Zhang Shike, He Hui, Wang Jingyuan, Ma Li, Wei Xiaoyu, Zhang Mingxing, Guo Yi
Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China.
Front Physiol. 2025 Aug 7;16:1548737. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1548737. eCollection 2025.
Infertility remains a global challenge, with female factors accounting for the majority of cases. Endometrial receptivity (ER), the ability of the endometrium to accept and support embryo implantation, is a critical determinant of successful conception. Traditional Chinese medicine, specifically acupuncture, has been widely adopted as an adjunct therapy for enhancing ER and improving reproductive outcomes in infertile women. This literature review explores the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in promoting ER by focusing on key areas, including improvements in endometrial morphology, increasing uterine blood flow, adjustment to hormone levels, regulation of molecular markers, modulating endometrial immune-inflammatory microenvironment, and probably activating the somatosensory-autonomic reflex pathway. Although promising, existing studies on acupuncture and ER often face limitations in sample size and methodological rigor, highlighting the need for larger, high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT). Furthermore, the safety profile of acupuncture in infertility treatment is favorable, with few reported adverse effects. These findings suggest that acupuncture could be a viable complementary therapy for improving pregnancy outcomes in women with compromised ER, although further research is essential to establish definitive protocols and mechanisms.
不孕症仍然是一项全球性挑战，其中女性因素占大多数病例。子宫内膜容受性（ER），即子宫内膜接受并支持胚胎着床的能力，是成功受孕的关键决定因素。传统中医，特别是针灸，已被广泛用作辅助疗法，以增强子宫内膜容受性并改善不孕女性的生殖结局。这篇文献综述通过关注关键领域，探讨了针灸促进子宫内膜容受性的疗效和潜在机制，包括改善子宫内膜形态、增加子宫血流量、调节激素水平、调控分子标志物、调节子宫内膜免疫炎症微环境以及可能激活躯体感觉 - 自主反射通路。尽管前景乐观，但现有关于针灸与子宫内膜容受性的研究在样本量和方法严谨性方面往往存在局限性，这凸显了开展更大规模、高质量随机对照试验（RCT）的必要性。此外，针灸在不孕症治疗中的安全性良好，报告的不良反应很少。这些发现表明，针灸可能是改善子宫内膜容受性受损女性妊娠结局的一种可行的辅助疗法，不过，进一步的研究对于确定明确的方案和机制至关重要。
