Tag Archives: acupuncture for fertility

Acupuncture for IVF

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Current research in reproductive medicine shows that acupuncture improves pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing IVF.  Research also demonstrates the effectiveness of Chinese herbs to improve embryo quality in women who have undergone failed IVF cycles.  Acupuncture can help with fertility in many ways, both physically and emotionally.  An excellent example of the successful combination of Traditional Chinese Medicne and IVF comes from my patient Tracy:  

About 9 years ago (2001) my husband and I experienced primary infertility when starting our family. At the time, we were both about 29 years old. We started seeing a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) in 2003. The diagnosis at the time was primary infertility because my husband had a very low sperm count (between 6-12 million.) I also was diagnosed with a bicornuate uterus, but our RE told us that would only be a factor if I couldn’t carry our children to term. Our first treatment plan with our reproductive endocrinologist (RE) was to try IUI’s. On our fourth IUI (our first with Clomid) we were able to conceive our first daughter.

When she was 18 months old we went back to our RE. I knew it would take a little while to get pregnant, but we thought we knew the formula. I was very in tune with my body because we had practiced Natural Family Planning (NFP) in order to avoid pregnancy the first years of our marriage. So when the normal signs of fertility were not occurring during the time I was ovulating, I knew something was wrong. We had tried 7 IUI’s (with Clomid & Follistim,) each one with a much higher sperm count than the cycle I had conceived our daughter on. I spoke with the RE and the nurses about this, but they all had a different answer and none of them made sense to me. Because of the absence of my normal fertility signs, I knew something was wrong with my body.

We decided to start seeing a new RE at another practice. When we did this, they had us redo all the tests we did a few years early. When they took the hormone tests for me they saw that I had an elevated FSH level (12.5.) They told me that if my FSH were any higher I wouldn’t be eligible for IVF. Because it was that high I had a lower chance of conceiving then other women in my age group.

This is when I decided to turn to acupuncture. I read a review about Monica from a lady in England who had been to her a couple of times, but swore Monica was the reason her IVF procedure worked. I decided to give Monica a try.

When I explained everything to Monica, she thought that there were definitely things she could do to help. During my next cycle my fertility signs did return (I know that was because of the acupuncture). My RE had also given me an HSG and ordered an ultrasound and then an MRI to diagnose my uterine anomaly correctly. Finally something showed up that explained the cause of my secondary infertility…a dermoid cyst on my ovary. This needed to be removed before we could proceed with any other procedures. While I was waiting on the surgery I continued to see Monica and continued to get healthier. My husband even went to her to increase and improve his sperm count and motility.

I had the cyst removed and we were able to finally do our first and only IVF cycle in November 2007. Monica was so accommodating during this time. She made sure she was available for us any time of the day while we were going through our procedure. She was there to give me a treatment before & after my cycle which she had to come in on the weekend for.

We were very successful with our procedure, even with my elevated FSH level the RE was able to remove 22 eggs and 16 fertilitized and 7 went to blast stage. She even thought of putting one blast back, but because my age (35) and FSH levels were high she recommended two. They were able to put two grade A eggs back in 5 days later. Needless to say a week and a half after that we found out we were pregnant and a few weeks after that we found out we were having twins.

I really feel like if I were not seeing Monica during this time that I would not have become pregnant. She was understanding and very involved and interested in my overall health. I carried my twins to full term, even with my bicornuate uterus.

Thank you Monica for my wonderful girls!!!!

Tracy H.

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Acupuncture for Menstrual Pain (Dysmenorrhea)

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Menstrual pain is a condition that afflicts many women, and it is not managed well by Western medicine.  Taking birth control pills is helpful for some women, but they are not an option for a woman trying to conceive.  Ibuprofen and related medications like alleve are harmful for kidney function and they are not adequate for pain relief for women with severe menstrual pain.  Acupuncture is a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical treatment for dysmenorrhea that is without adverse side effects.  Research demonstrates the effectiveness of acupuncture for reducing menstrual pain: within the first month of treatment the pain can be dramatically decreased and with regular acupuncture treatments in combination with Chinese herbs over a period of several months the pain can be eliminated.  Rectifying the cause of a woman’s menstrual pain will improve her fertility by improving the overall health and function of her reproductive system.  

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the cause of menstrual pain is stagnation of chi and blood.  Blood stasis and chi stagnation cause pain and also are an inhibitor to implantation for women trying to conceive. The liver meridian is always involved in this pattern, but other meridians such as the conception channel, kidney channel and stomach channel are also involved.  There can be underlying conditions of yin deficiency, spleen chi deficiency, or blood deficiency that are contributing factors to the stagnation of the chi and blood resulting in menstrual pain.  Your practitioner will treat the symptom of pain by moving stagnant chi and blood with acupuncture, and also address the root-cause of the pain with herbs, which may be a combination of the factors listed above.  An acupuncturist who is experienced working with gynecology can explain to you your exact diagnosis and how many menstrual cycles you should undergo treatment.  If you have had menstrual pain for many years, then you will derive the best results if you receive acupuncture treatments for several months.  

 The adjunct symptoms that accompany menstrual pain will also improve with acupuncture treatment.  This includes PMS, menstrual-migraines, breast pain, bloating, sugar cravings, low back pain, fatigue, unexplained infertility, irritability and mood swings.  Endometriosis can be treated with acupuncture in combination with Chinese herbs and if the patient is willing to undergo treatment for many months it can be cured without surgery. 

 In gynecology herbal medicine is considered very important and almost always your acupuncturist will combine an herbal prescription with your acupuncture treatments for optimal results.  Typical formulas used for menstrual pain include Xiao Yao Wan or  Shao Fu Zhu Yu Wan. 

 In TCM the constitutional imbalances that make a woman suffer from menstrual pain also make her more likely to suffer from fertility challenges when she is in her childbearing years and menopause-related problems when she is older.  When a woman shifts her constitution and eliminates the cause of her menstrual pain with acupuncture and herbal treatment, she is also preventing menopausal hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, frequent urination and helping to preserve her fertility should she decide to have children later in life. 

 If you have questions about acupuncture and the treatment of gynecological conditions or fertility do not hesitate to contact me!  

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Acupuncture For Fertility: Read Our Patients’ Stories!

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Whether you struggle with infertility or just want to enhance your fertility naturally, fertility acupuncture can help you to conceive. In women, regular acupuncture treatments stimulate the production of follicles by the ovaries and improves cervical mucous. In men, acupuncture improves sperm quality, sperm motility, sperm morphology and sperm count.

Medical studies have shown that acupuncture treatments for fertility can improve the thickness of the uterine lining and facilitate embryo implantation. For this reason fertility acupuncture is recommended to women who have had a number of miscarriages or who are going through IVF or IUI treatments.

Acupuncture has been used in China for thousands of years to promote fertility and to cure infertility. It is successfully used to treat medical conditions that contribute to infertility such as endometriosis, PCOS, high FSH and luteal phase defect, as well as unexplained infertility.  For lots of great examples, see my   fertility acupuncture testimonials and don’t hesitate to contact me with questions!

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