Toronto (eCanadaNow) - In a surprising new study, women who were given acupuncture showed a significant rise in successful in vitro fertilization. 

Women who were administered acupuncture when the embryo was transferred showed a greater rate of successful In vitro fertilization.

This was a study done by researchers in VU University in Holland, and also at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

One thousand three hundred sixty six women who participated in seven separate trials were examined.  Some of the study participants where given actual acupuncture, and others received a placebo or “sham acupuncture” such as needles in the wrong place.  

The rate of successful pregnancy jumped sixty five percent with the women who were actually administered acupuncture. 

The research is preliminary, but brings to light the possibility of increasing the odds of pregnancy using alternative treatments not normally used.

It is thought that the mere idea may have relaxed some of the women, which also could have added to the increased success rate. 

There may be a placebo effect, but the study was carefully done so as to not have a placebo effect present.

Nearly ten to fifteen percent of couples worldwide struggle with some type of infertility during their lives. Almost two hundred thousand babies were conceived in 2000 using the in vitro fertilization method.