"Without Scientific Evidence and Increasing Miscarriage Risk"… Medical Community Opposes Hanbang Infertility Treatment Support Act

"Clinical Trial Evidence for Safety and Efficacy Evaluation Not Available"
Hanui Community: "Medical Community Obsessed with Literalism Must Reflect"

The medical community has expressed opposition to government support for traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments, stating that these methods lack scientific evidence and may actually increase miscarriage rates. They have declared their willingness to engage in strong resistance to protect patient safety if the support measures are not withdrawn. The Korean Medicine community argued against this criticism, stating that being trapped in professional territorialism should not lead to neglecting infertile couples.

The Korean Medical Association and the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology held a press conference opposing the "Support Act for Korean Medicine Infertility Treatment Without Scientific Evidence" at 2 p.m. on the 30th in the main conference room of the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Professor Choi Young-sik from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yonsei University College of Medicine is speaking./Photo by Choi Tae-won peaceful1@

The Korean Medical Association and the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology held a press conference titled "Opposition to the Support Law for Traditional Korean Medicine Infertility Treatments Lacking Scientific Evidence" at 2 p.m. on the 30th at the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Earlier, on the 9th, the National Assembly passed a partial amendment to the Maternal and Child Health Act allowing the government to support expenses for traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments and enabling the Minister of Health and Welfare to set and announce standards for such treatments. The provision for supporting traditional Korean medicine infertility treatment expenses will take effect six months after the promulgation date.

Kim Gyo-ung, chairman of the Korean Medical Association's Special Committee on Traditional Korean Medicine Measures, stated, "Even professors at Korean medicine universities acknowledge in their papers that there is no evidence from controlled clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments." He added, "In a 2019 clinical study on traditional Korean medicine infertility treatment by Professor Kim Dong-il of Dongguk University, 13 participants became pregnant, but nearly half, six, failed to give birth. The participants were on average in their early 30s, an age group not at high risk for miscarriage."

He continued, "An analysis of recently published papers shows that the support project for traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments does not increase pregnancy success rates but rather may increase miscarriage risk several times over. Combining data from Professor Kim Dong-il's research and a 2016 report by Professor Kim Chun-bae's team at Yonsei University Future Campus Medical School indicates that women who became pregnant within three months after taking herbal medicine had a 3.6 times higher rate of birth failure compared to those who became pregnant after three months."

Professor Choi Young-sik of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yonsei University Medical School said, "While increased social interest in supporting infertile couples is welcome, there is insufficient evidence that traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments improve pregnancy rates. On the contrary, they appear to increase the risk of miscarriage, posing serious threats to the health of mothers and fetuses." He argued, "Objective research and data collection, along with transparent disclosure, must precede any support, and the law supporting traditional Korean medicine infertility treatment without evidence should be withdrawn."

Difference in Birth Failure Rates According to the Timing of Taking Herbal Medicine for Infertility Treatment and Pregnancy [Image Source=Korean Medical Association]

There were also claims that strong resistance would be undertaken if the partial amendment to the Maternal and Child Health Act is implemented to protect the safety of mothers and fetuses. Lee Jung-geun, full-time vice president of the Korean Medical Association, stated, "Herbal medicines such as Moutan Cortex, which have been proven to increase miscarriage rates, are used in traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments. We must protect the safety of infertile couples through strong resistance."

Meanwhile, the Korean Medicine community responded to the medical community's criticism by saying, "The medical community, trapped in professional territorialism, must reflect on itself." The Association of Korean Medicine Doctors issued a statement immediately after the medical community's press conference, saying, "Traditional Korean medicine infertility treatments have been verified through numerous local government projects for over ten years. According to research results from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the success rate was 14.44%, higher than that of obstetric artificial insemination, and infertile couples expressed a 96.8% response rate indicating the need for government-level support for Korean medicine infertility treatments."

They also mentioned the infertility surgery success rates from the 2016 National Assembly audit by the medical community. During the 2016 audit, Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min pointed out, based on the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2014 Infertile Couple Support Project and Yearly Infertility Procedure Institution Success Rates,' that nearly 100 medical institutions had a 0% artificial insemination pregnancy rate from 2011 to 2014. The Korean Medicine community stated, "It is now time to abandon 'medical authoritarianism,' where only doctors do everything, and to be reborn as true medical professionals who consider the health and lives of the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.