Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Dr. Jackie Boivin, a member of the MHPG of the ASRM recently published an article in the April volume of Human Reproduction. Dr. Boivin found that concurrent use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) was associated with a 30% lower pregnancy rate. The findings were not found to be related to poor prognosis, such as age related fertility decline, or life style factors, such as smoking or ingestion of alcohol. Unfortunately, no specific complementary or alternative choices were most associated with the lower pregnancy rates. However, this study places them back on the radar screen for future studies to examine. The results of this study do suggest that use of CAM(s) should be carefully monitored during ART treatments.