Manual acupuncture for the infertile female with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): study protocol for a randomized sham-controlled trial

Table 3 Overview of study visits

	Screening and baseline visit	Menstrual cycles			Six months after the last acupuncture treatment
	Screening and baseline visit	1st	2nd	3rd	Six months after the last acupuncture treatment
General condition ^a	√
Gynecological examination	√
Fasting blood samples for sex hormone ^b, FINS, FBG, HbA1c	√			√
Transvaginal ultrasound	√	√	√	√
Pregnancy test (blood β-HCG)				√
Treatment record ^c		√	√	√
Questionnaire ^d	√			√
Telephone follow-up ^e					√

^aGeneral condition include age, BMI, menstrual and obstetrical histories
^bSex hormones include: E2, T, P, FSH, LH, PRL, DHEAS, SHBG
^cTreatment record includes date and adverse events
^dQuestionnaire includes the PCOS and TCM syndrome scores
^eInquires if the participants were pregnant
E2 estradiol, T total testosterone, P progesterone, FSH follicle-stimulating hormone, LH luteinizing hormone, PRL prolactin, DHEAS dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, SHBG sex hormone-binding globulin, BMI body mass index, FINS fasting insulin, FBG fasting blood-glucose, HbA1c glycated hemoglobin

ISSN: 1745-6215