Evaluating the clinical efficacy of ThunderFire moxibustion combined with ovulation monitoring in the treatment of adenomyosis combined with infertility

This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of ThunderFire moxibustion combined with ovulation monitoring for the treatment of adenomyosisassociated infertility. A series of 120 patients diagnosed with uterine adenomyosis and infertility and cold coagulation blood stasis syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (with the clinical manifestations of premenstrual or menstrual lower abdomen cold pain, pain reduction with heat application, and cold extremities) were randomized equally to treatment group with ThunderFire moxibustion and ovulation monitoring as well as control group with ovulation monitoring only. Treatment continued for six menstrual cycles. The pregnancy rate of the treatment group was significantly increased with the control group (50.0% vs. 23.3%, P=0.021). Dysmenorrhea and the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome in the treatment group improved significantly compared with the control group (3.87 #177;2.03 vs. 5.70 #177;1.01, P=0.002 and 7.33 #177;4.11 vs. 10.52 #177;2.33, P=0.006, respectively), and there was also significant betweengroup differences in serum cancer antigen 125 (55.45 #177;14.65 vs. 63.34 #177;11.41, P=0.031). However, the average uterus diameters in the treatment and control groups were not significantly different (67.13 #177;7.59 vs. 69.89 #177;5.30, P=0.137). ThunderFire moxibustion with ovulation monitoring improved the pregnancy rate of patients diagnosed with adenomyosisassociated infertility.