Acupuncture for Fertility

Acupuncture for Fertility and IVF preparation & support

How does Acupuncture assist with IVF treatment?

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of acupuncture in increasing the chances of successful IVF treatment [1,2,3,4]. It seems likely that at least part of this is due to the ability of acupuncture treatment to promote relaxation and thus enhance blood supply to the lining of the uterus.

There is also evidence to support the ability of Acupuncture to help regulate endocrine function in subfertile women and men, leading to increased chances of conception. Of particular note is its effect on Polycystic overy related fertility problems [5].

The causes of one person’s difficulty conceiving are inevitably complex and dinosing the individual patterns of disharmony responsible is at the heart of traditional Acupuncture’s approach to treatment.

In order to arrive at an appropriate diagnosis, Acupuncturists will take a full case history as well as using information gained from taking the pulse and looking at the tongue.

An acupuncturist will make an individual diagnosis and select an appropriate combination of acupuncture points, which may vary from week to week as the treatment progresses and according to the stage of menstrual cycle

Acupuncture and Chinese Medichine for ifertility and IVF support
Other benefits of acupuncture:
  • Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine is used to support infertility treatment, by helping to improve the success rate of IVF in different ways by improving the function of the ovaries to produce a better quality of eggs, regulating hormones to produce a larger number of follicles. The treatment can increase blood flow to the uterus and increase the thickness of the uterine lining, thus increasing the chances for embryo implantation.
  • Acupuncture can relax patient and decrease the stress, as well as lessen side effects of stimulating drugs used during IVF treatment.

References

1. Paulus WE, Zhang M, EI-Danasouri I, Sterzik K. influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate of woman who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertile Steril. 2002;77(4): 721-4

2. Westergaard LG, Mao Q, Krogslund M, Sandrini S, Lenz S, Grinsted J. Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer significantly improves the reproductive outcome in infertile woman: a prospective randomized trial. Fertil Steril. 2006 May;85(5):1341-6.

3. Johnson D. Acupuncture prior to and at embryo transfer in an assisted conception unit – a case series. Acupuncture in Med. 2006 Mar;24(1):23-8.

4. Stener-Victorin E, Humaidan P. Use of acupuncture in female infertility and summary of recent acupuncture studies related to embryo transfer. Acupunct Med. 2006 Dec;24(4):157-63.

5. Ng EN, So WS, Gao J, Wong YY, Ho PC. The role of acupuncture in the management of subfertility. Fertil Steril. 2008 Jul;90(1):1-13.