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New hope for IVF patients

Are you considering IVF? Would you like to increase your chances of conceiving and decrease the risk of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage?


Then keep on reading. You will find information here that may save you having to go through a second, third cycle of IVF or more.


German researchers tried to determine the effect of acupuncture on assisted reproduction therapy (ART) success rates.


In the study half of the women received standard IVF. The other half were given acupuncture treatments before and after. 		IVF and IVF plus acupuncutre success rates compared

"There were over 1,000 patients,
and patients who had had
acupuncture done in the correct
place had double the pregnancy [rate]
after IVF"
Professor Rob Norman (summarising a number of studies)



In the acupuncture group, 42.5 percent of patients became pregnant, while in the IVF-only group, 26.3% of patients conceived.


These results were reported by a reputable journal of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine "Fertility and Sterility" in April 2002.


In October 2004 another study from USA emerged, with impressive results. In this research they not only measured the pregnancy rates of IVF, but also other aspects.






Acupuncture before and after IVF not only considerably increased the success rates, but also substantially increased live birth rates. Furthermore, it substantially reduced risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies. 


In February 2008 the very first systematic review/metanalysis on acupuncture and IVF has concluded acupuncture effects to be significant and clinically relevant. This has been published in British Medical Journal.


How does acupuncture improve fertility? I wish I could give you the complete answer. We know that acupuncture can have an effect on body chemistry; it regulates or normalises the hormone balance, but the exact mechanism of this action is still a mystery.


Various studies and other scientific literature hilighted a few ways how acupuncture may improve fertility:


  • Acupuncture increases blood flow to the uterus (and increases the quality of the uterine lining)
  • Relaxes the patient and reduces stress
  • Decreases risk of miscarriage (possibly by decreasing cortisol levels)
  • Decreases risk of ectopic pregnancy
  • Increases blood flow to ovaries, improves the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs
  • Regulates the menstrual cycle (and its hormones) to produce a larger number of follicles

While acupuncture may increase the success rates of assisted reproductive techniques (A.R.T.) including IVF, ICSI, IUI and other, our goal is for you to conceive naturally, if possible, without the use of A.R.T.


There are couples who for various physical reasons will not be able to conceive without help of assisted reproduction. In cases like this, we aim to balance and prepare your body with acupuncture so your chance of successful IVF is significantly increased.

We had a number of couples who believed IVF was the only way to conceive, but achieved pregnancy naturally while being on IVF waiting list. We encourage you to seek qualified help early, so that the chances of conception are optimised.


Fertility acupuncture is one of our fields of expertise. Contact us now to discuss how we can help you.