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This study aims to evaluate the use of alternative and complementary therapies and conception status of women receiving infertility treatment. A total of 349 patients who applied to the infertility department of Medipol University and Private Nisa Hospital between October 1st and November 30th, 2020 were included in the study on their consent in pa...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... shown with the sociodemographic data illustrated on Table 1, of the 349 women who participated in the study, 51.57% (n=180) were at the ages of 25-34 while 57.60% (n=201) of the husbands of the subjects were at the age of 35 and over. In terms of education levels of the subjects, the biggest group was high school and university graduates with 46.42% (n=162). ...Context 2
... relatives, 23.49% from media, 22.92% from internet, and 22.92% from medical personnel. The ACT methods that the female participants knew and used are demonstrated on (Table-1) and 2. As can be seen on these tables, the most well-known ACT is shrine visits by 59.8% (n=209) while the most well-known T&CM application is cupping by 46.42% (n=162). It has been observed that the most preferred ACT is consulting with a hodja -a religious character generally thought to have healing powers using religious methods -by 41.84% (n=146), followed by visiting a shrine with 32,66% (n=114) of the participants. ...Citations
... This is in line with other studies which state that patients who have problems with fertility experience improvements in hormonal terms after receiving cupping therapy; patients who initially have anxiety and insomnia problems, after routine cupping therapy, patients will feel calm and rested, so the state of the body becomes better and ready for pregnancy 9 . Other studies highlight a significant link between the use of cupping therapy and conception rates, with a large percentage of women reporting successful pregnancies after using this therapy 12 . ...
Al-hijamah, or cupping therapy, uses a cupping device to vacuum suction the skin. The recommendation and virtues of cupping are found in various hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It has been used traditionally for centuries and is gaining recognition for its potential health benefits, especially in women's reproductive health. The aim of this review is to map the research results on the cupping method (Al-hijamah) as an evidence-based treatment method for addressing reproductive problems in women. This narrative review uses databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and Grey Literature, as well as Google Scholar and Research Rabbit. Based on the results of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 articles were retrieved, and 2 themes were obtained, namely the role of cupping therapy for women's reproductive health and various combinations of cupping with other methods. Cupping therapy can have a positive impact on various aspects of female reproductive health, including menstrual disorders and infertility. Studies have shown improvements in menstrual cycles, reduction in menstrual pain, and increased fertility rates in women who undergo cupping therapy. In addition, cupping therapy has also shown promise in treating conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and anemia associated with excessive menstrual bleeding.
... For this reason, infertile women seek remedies. Consistent with the literature, our study showed that the reasons why infertile women use CST practices include the high cost of infertility treatments, social pressure, and the belief that these methods are beneficial [21,22]. However, it should also be accepted that infertility is not a female-only problem and may be male-caused [21]. ...
... In the present study, participants reported reading special prayers and verses of the Qur'an and getting amulets made to treat infertility. These results are similar to other studies [11,22]. The widespread use of spiritual practices among infertile Turkish women may be because they are based on a cultural and religious background, are safe, harmless, cost-free, more accessible than medical treatment, and provide relief to the individual. ...
... In addition to these methods, infertile women resort to cupping and leech applications as traditional methods [12,22,34]. Studies conducted in Türkiye, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan show that these methods were widely used. ...
Background
In many societies, infertile couples use traditional practices.
Objective
This study aimed to determine the complementary, supportive and traditional (CST) practices used by infertile women and their attitudes toward these practices.
Methods
In this qualitative study, data were collected through individual interviews using a semi-structured form in December 2021. A total of 25 infertile women who applied to the in-vitro fertilization center of a hospital in Türkiye participated in the study. The findings were evaluated by thematic analysis.
Results
The ages of the participants ranged from 25 to 49 years. Three main themes were obtained by the data analysis; “Reasons for using CST practices,” “Complementary, supportive and traditional practices used” and “Opinions on the effect of CST practices.”
Conclusion
Women resorted to complementary and supportive practices for economic reasons, seeking hope, and environmental pressure. Various herbal cures, dietary practices, and religious methods such as praying and prayer amulets, hacamat (cupping), leeches, and various bodily applications were identified as methods commonly used by women. Women were using these methods with the recommendations of people who are not health professionals. It is important to determine the beneficial methods and increase women’s awareness of harmful practices. Additionally, although women use many methods for infertility treatment, it should also be noted that infertility is not a female-only problem. Consequently, childless women should be empowered with healthy coping skills.
... Moreover, the result of our study in this part was in line with that of a similar study that indicated no efficacy of cupping therapy on conception. 36 It seems that we can expect to achieve better results by increasing the length of the follow-up and continuing psychological and traditional interventions along with modern medical interventions. ...
Background
Physical and psychological interventions could affect the quality of life (QoL) of women with infertility. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of dry cupping and counselling with the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) approach on fertility QoL and conception success in infertile women due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Methods
This was a two-arm pilot randomized clinical trial from first January 2021 to the end of November 2022. In this regard, 19 women with infertility who were referred to the health centers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups (10 in the virtual MBCT group and 9 in the cupping group). All participants completed the fertility quality of life (FertiQol) tool before the intervention and three months after the end of the intervention. In addition, after the end of the intervention, a human chorionic gonadotropin test was performed monthly for three months, too. We used ANOVA/ANCOVA and its related effect sizes, including mean difference (MD) and standard mean difference (SMD: Hedges’s g), and chi-square tests to compare the study group outcomes in Stata 14.2. P-values equal to or less than 0.10 were considered significant.
Results
The intervention resulted in significant differences in the mean overall scores of FertiQol between the counseling and cupping groups (61.76±14.28 and 50.65±12.53, respectively) [P=0.091, MD=11.11 (90% CI: 0.33 to 21.89), SMD=1.07 (90% CI: 0.279 to 1.84)]. No significant difference was found in conception rates between the groups after the intervention.
Conclusion
This pilot study found that MBCT improved the fertility QoL in PCOS-related infertility patients better than cupping therapy.
Trial registration
IRCT201706110334452N1
