Therapies such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be crucial tools for childless couples, according to fertility experts who gathered last night for an event to mark the 30th anniversary of IVF.
Debate has raged about the efficacy of alternative therapies for women undergoing infertility treatments. Only last week a study said acupuncture did not increase the pregnancy chances of women on fertility treatment.

However, the organiser of last night's Edinburgh event, and city- based fertility awareness practitioner Juliet le Page, said a lot of research had shown the benefits of complementary medicines in improving the success rate of IVF treatment.

A recent study claimed that women who were given acupuncture after implantation during IVF were 65per cent more likely to conceive than those who were not.

Ms Le Page, who specialises in helping women understand their ovulatory cycle to help spot possible causes of infertility, said: "When you look at all the IVF clinics in the UK, NHS or private, there is only one I think which employs an alternative therapist who works in conjunction with the gynaecologists and their success rate certainly seems to be better than average.

The event coincided with a survey of more than 300 UK fertility patients which found nearly 80per cent would travel abroad for treatment due to high costs and long waiting listsv