Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Phytotherapy on the treatment of Female Infertility: A Scoping Review

Background: Infertility, characterized by the inability to conceive through natural means, poses substantial medical, psychosocial, and economic challenges. Conventional treatments, including medication and assisted reproductive technologies, often entail adverse effects and financial burdens.Objective: The aim of this review is to identify, examine, and summarize available evidence about the treatment of female infertility with acupuncture, moxibustion and phytotherapy, and identify gaps in knowledge and research, in order to improve future studies and female infertility management.Results: For this review six databases were searched. Nine randomized controlled trials pub-lished between 2017 and 2022 were included, totalling 1440 participants. The interventions demonstrated efficacy, particularly in cases of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, through improve-ments in pregnancy rates, hormonal balance, and quality of life. The therapeutic approaches were phytotherapy (n=4), acupuncture (n=3), acupuncture and phytotherapy (n=1) and moxibus-tion (n=1). Two of the studies that used only phytotherapy had a higher pregnancy rate. There was a higher pregnancy rate in the combined therapy group (letrozole + eletroacupuncture combined with ginger-isolated moxibustion). The study that combined phytotherapy with acu-puncture showed a higher pregnancy rate compared to the sham acupuncture group. In the moxibustion study, there was a higher pregnancy rate in the observational group (moxibustion + clomiphene citrate) compared to the control group (clomiphene citrate). However, methodo-logical limitations, small samples, and short study durations highlight the need for more rigor-ous research. Customization based on menstrual cycle stages emerged as a critical consideration.Conclusion: Acupuncture, moxibustion and phytotherapy, when integrated with conventional treatments, holds the potential for enhancing fertility outcomes, emphasizing the importance of a patient-centred, individualized approach.