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There has been a lot of interest in recent years by the public, the media and the medical establishment into the role that acupuncture can play in
in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or assisted reproductive therapy (ART) as it is sometimes called. The area is well researched world wide.
The IVF procedure can be a very emotional experience and very stressful for both partners. I therefore gauge the treatment to support the patient going through this process. The acupuncture does not interfere with the drug regime and I choose points that mimic the action of the drugs. I believe that this approach accounts for the many successes I have been privileged to be part of.
A German study of 160 women undergoing IVF treatment in 2002 demonstrated an
increased success rate of 50% when using a combination of acupuncture and IVF. The pregnancy rate was 42.5%, compared with IVF alone where the pregnancy rate was 26.3%.1
In a more recent analysis in 2008, scientists combined the data from seven different trials (a total of 1,366 women) and found that those having acupuncture alongside IVF were
65% more likely to have a successful outcome.2
I believe that acupuncture can be used along side IVF and some fertility clinics now offer acupuncture to coincide with the IVF treatment.
There are different stages to the procedure and I choose points that help at each phase.
Firstly there is a down regulation phase. This is where the ovaries are temporarily “shut down” to prevent any premature release of eggs by the use of hormonal drugs.
Acupuncture can be used in conjunction with these drugs to increase their efficacy and reduce any possible side effects.
The next phase of the cycle is ovarian stimulation. This is where the ovaries are stimulated hormonally to produce many eggs.
As this is a more stimulating phase of the procedure so points are selected to mimic this. This phase is considered by Chinese medicine practitioners to be heating, so the herb, Moxa, is place on the needle and burnt to warm the point (patients find the warming sensation particular pleasant).
Next a hormonal injection is given to ripen the eggs. An ultra sound is used to measure the size of the follicles. Eggs are collected the following day under sedation and fertilised.
There is a two day period between egg collection and implantation and at this stage acupuncture is used to “nourish” blood which helps to establish a good womb lining. This is an important stage in the procedure as a thick womb lining will allow the fertilised eggs to attach and establish.
After the implantation, acupuncture is also used to maintain the pregnancy. The liver, stomach and digestion are treated as these organs provide both the energy and blood needed to support the developing embryo. Acupuncture is continued, weekly, to maintain the pregnancy, up to the pregnancy test after 2 weeks or to the first scan at 8 weeks which confirms the pregnancy, depending on the patients needs.
Following a positive pregnancy
Throughout pregnancy other conditions may arise. These can include morning sickness, back pain, restless legs or sleep disturbance. Any of these can be treated with acupuncture.
Looking ahead to the birth, acupuncture is also used to turn the baby if there is a breech position and even to induce labour if the baby has gone beyond the due date.
1. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy.
Wolfgang E Paulus, Mingmin
Zhang, Erwin Strehler, Imam El-Danasouri, Karl Sterzik .
Fertility and Sterility April 2002 (Vol. 77, Issue 4,
Pages 721-724)
2. Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy
and live birth among women undergoing in vitro
fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eric Manheimer, Grant Zhang, Laurence Udoff,
Aviad Haramati, Patricia Langenberg, Brian M Berman, and
Lex M Bouter BMJ Mar 2008 (Vol. 336: pages 545 – 549)
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