IVF and Acupuncture » Dr Vitalis Acupuncture

A new hope for IVF patients – Acupuncture

Are you considering IVF?

Would you like to increase your chances of conceiving with IVF 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.

“Patients who had had acupuncture done in the correct place had double the pregnancy [rate] after IVF”
Robert Norman
Professor for Reproductive and Periconceptual Medicine at the University of Adelaide

IVF plus Acupuncture = higher success rates

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.

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.

Increased live births, reduced miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies

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/meta analysis 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 a profound effect on body chemistry. It regulates, normalises the hormone balance. But the exact mechanism of these effects is still a mystery.

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

Acupuncture increases blood flow to the uterus (and increases the quality of the uterine lining)
Helps you to relax, interferes with the mechanism of stress
Decreases risk of miscarriage (possibly by decreasing cortisol levels and increasing blood flow)
Decreases risk of ectopic pregnancy
Increases blood flow to ovaries, improves the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs, benefits ovarian reserve
Regulates the menstrual cycle (and its hormones) to produce a larger number of follicles
Increases chances of triple-line pattern endometrial lining associated with good IVF outcomes
Improves uterine receptivity (HOXA10 expression)

Are you able to conceive naturally?

While acupuncture may increase the success rates of assisted reproductive techniques (A.R.T.) including IVF and ICSI, we like the idea of you conceiving naturally, if possible, without the use of A.R.T.

If for some health reasons you are not be able to conceive without the help of assisted reproduction, 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 in vitro fertilisation 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.

When to start acupuncture?

We recommend to come in for a consultation as early as possible. We can then review your situation and decide what treatment is most appropriate.

If your IVF started and the embryo transfer is about to happen, or it already took place, you still can contact us. It may be not too late. You’ll benefit from acupuncture and will improve your chances of success even if acupuncture is done on the day of IVF embryo transfer.