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IVF

ACUPUNCTURE AND IVF

It is not uncommon for pregnancy to take a little longer to achieve and some couples will need assisted reproductive treatment. Whatever your fertility treatment we can design an individual programme to support you. This will be largely based on acupuncture being given at specific times of the IVF/IUI cycle; we will also recommend other supportive therapies where appropriate. Research has demonstrated that acupuncture before and after embryo transfer can increase the chances of success. Obviously this is beneficial, however, if regular acupuncture is started earlier the chance of success increases.

We have a lot of experience and understanding of combining acupuncture with IVF. Many couples are now seeking acupuncture treatment throughout their IVF cycles.

The treatments are based on traditional theories combined with the latest evidence based approaches using a combination of electro-acupuncture, auricular (ear) acupuncture and body acupuncture. As well as improving the outcome for clients, acupuncture also helps them stay more relaxed throughout the procedures.

Acupuncture can help with the following:

• Improved ovarian response and reduce FSH levels where high
• Improved sperm quality
• Increased pelvic blood flow
• Relieving side effects of drugs
• Relieving stress; calming the mind by releasing endorphins
• Relaxing the uterus if given at the time of transfer.

We recommend that patients start acupuncture treatment prior to beginning IVF; ideally six to eight weeks is optimal, though not essential. When working with patients undergoing IVF the goal of the acupuncture treatment is to make the body as receptive as possible to the process. This is achieved by administering acupuncture treatments once a week up until the procedure date.

Treating with acupuncture in the weeks after the IVF procedure and into pregnancy is also of great benefit. I usually recommend acupuncture one week after transfer to help maintain a healthy pelvic blood flow and to relieve the stress of waiting.

We work hard to accommodate clients and, if possible, we can arrange an acupuncturist to attend the transfer, or to visit the client at home. If however this is not possible, having acupuncture within 48 hrs is an excellent treatment.

We hope that in the future acupuncture (performed by qualified acupuncturists) will be an optional part of the IVF procedure and that many clinics will use it.

Why does IVF sometimes fail  (Download the .pdf 15K)