Acupuncture-Related Therapies for Ovulatory Disorders: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis Protocol

Abstract

Background：Ovulation disorders (ODs) are major cause of infertility. Many clinical studies have shown that acupuncture is potentially useful in the treatment of ODs. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different acupuncture therapies through systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods： A comprehensive literature search until June 2021 will be carried out in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Science Net, EBSCO, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, VIP database, and China biomedical database (CBM). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) meeting the eligibility criteria based on PICO elements will be included. The main outcomes will be ovulation rate, pregnancy rate and changes in female reproductive hormones. The secondary outcome will be the prevalence of adverse events directly related to acupuncture. Cochrane bias risk assessment tool (RoB 2.0) will be used to evaluate the quality of the selected literature. Stata, Aggregate Data Drug Information System (ADDIS)and BUGS will be used to manage the data. Discussion: The results of this study can provide evidence to the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy for ODs. However, large-scale, case-control studies with rigorous designs are required to provide even more accurate evidence.Systematic review registration: This agreement has been registered in INPLASY（https://inplasy.com/）,the registration ID is INPLASY202160078.