ACUPUNCTURE TO SUPPORT IVF AT POINT DEL MAR ACUPUNCTURE IN SAN DIEGO, CA


DOES HAVING ACUPUNCTURE INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS WITH IVF?
Clinical research suggests that it does. One German study took 160 women undergoing IVF and split them into two groups. One group combined acupuncture with IVF and one group did not. Interestingly the group that did the acupuncture had a 50% better outcome than the group that did IVF alone. You can read a BBC article about this study HERE. In 2008 research published in the British Medical Journal showed that women doing IVF who underwent acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer compared with those who underwent a “sham” version of the treatment, or no extra treatment at all. You can read about this study HERE.

HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE HELP AN IVF CYCLE BE MORE SUCCESSFUL?
Recent research shows that acupuncture can promote the circulation of blood in the pelvic cavity and improve ovarian function. Acupuncture may also be beneficial in promoting follicle production, enhancing uterine blood flow and thus improving uterine lining thickness and decreasing uterine contractions after embryo transfer.
View the following PubMed Abstract: Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy.

HOW DOES IVF SUPPORT WORK?
While acupuncture works for some people straight away, it doesn’t necessarily work over night for everybody. However, the effects tend to be cumulative. Ideally, we would like to see our patients once a week in the three months leading up to IVF. If this isn’t possible, we recommend coming in to see us when you start your IVF cycle. We see our patients twice a week when they are taking the follicle stimulating drugs and we like to schedule a treatment before egg retrieval as well as another before embryo transfer. Finally we ask our patients to come in for treatment 24 – 48 hours after embryo transfer so that we can do an acupuncture treatment to prevent uterine spasm.

SHOULD I TAKE CHINESE HERBS DURING IVF?
The quick answer is no. Very occasionally do we do prescribe herbs for a patient going through IVF if she has a history of poor response to the stimulating drugs and if her doctor agrees. However, for most people the herbs can make your response to stimulating drugs unpredictable and we have found that most reproductive endocrinologists would prefer you not to combine them with IVF treatment.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
Feel free to call us at Point Del Mar Acupuncture 858-350-5825 and ask to speak to an acupuncturist. We have years of experience in women’s reproductive medicine and we treat women undergoing IVF on a daily basis. We are always happy to talk to you about your concerns.