Acupuncture has been widely accepted in fertility based therapy for its beneficial effects on improving implantation rates in assisted reproductive treatments such as IVF and IUI. It has also recently been shown to help improve ovarian reserve (amount of follicles in ovaries) and egg quality (important in healthy viable pregnancies).
Research shows that women who undergo regular acupuncture during IVF and IUI treatments have a lowered risk of miscarriage, multiples and ectopic pregnancies. It has also been shown to improve live birth outcomes and healthy pregnancies by as much a 11% compared to those who did not get acupuncture.
Furthermore, acupuncture is also used to balance hormones important in regulating healthy menstrual cycles. It has also been shown to be helpful in reducing stress and decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
We use the following IVF research based protocols:
Paulus Protocol - for pre and post IVF and IUI treatments.
This treatment is used pre and post embryo transfer to improve implantation success.
Ideally the treatment should be done 12-24 hours before transfer and within the same day post transfer.
Stener- Victorin Protocol - used prior to egg retrieval
This treatment is used to increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus to promote healthier oocytes and promote a healthy uterine lining for implantation.
This treatment is done twice a week for the five weeks leading up to egg retrieval.
Why Use Acupuncture to Manage Stress During IVF and IUI Treatments?
The psychological stress of dealing with trouble conceiving and undergoing assisted reproductive therapies (ART) has been shown to be equivalent to that of someone with a chronic serious illness such as cancer, cardiovascular disease or HIV. Unfortunately, that chronic stress has also been shown to shunt blood away from pelvic organs. Although this cannot be directly correlated to lower chances of successful pregnancies, adequate blood flow is important to ensure egg quality and proper nourishment of the endometrial lining for implantation. Suggesting chronic stress could be a contributing factor to infertility. This provides an unfortunate burden on those trying to conceive as it may generate more stress over the expectation that they must manage stress.
Acupuncture helps to manage stress and improve mood throughout this experience. Acupuncture helps to encourage function of the nervous system responsible for rest and renewal. This helps promote healthy sleep, improves mood and provides a sense of calm throughout the treatment. We encourage all our patients to get acupuncture weekly or biweekly during their IVF and IUI experience.
Book now to learn more about an individualized fertility acupuncture consults. Book for a thorough fertility intake if you are interesting in adding additional supplements and therapies to further increase your chances of conceiving.
In Health,
Your EastND Naturopathic Team
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