The best and fastest way to reach me so that we can have a discussion as soon as possible is to pick up the phone and call me directly at: 856-751-8908. If I don’t answer, leave me a detailed message with the best time of day to be able to reach you. I check my telephone messages frequently throughout the day and I will get back to you as quickly as I possibly can. I look forward to helping you start or increase your family.
Results from a recent study in Germany indicate that adding acupuncture to the treatment protocol of IVF patients greatly enhances their chances of becoming pregnant. While the physiologic mechanisms by which acupuncture may affect the uterus and reproductive system have not been identified, the researchers found that as a practical matter, at least among their small study population, the technique worked.
In a study of 160 patients undergoing in vitro fertilization, researchers utilized acupuncture, an important element in the 4,000-year-old tradition of Chinese medicine, before and after the embryo transfers of half their patients. The patients, who were all required to have embryos of good quality, were evenly and randomly divided into two groups similar in age and diagnosis.
The group receiving acupuncture treatments had one treatment before transfer and another after embryos had been transferred to their uteruses. Sterile needles were inserted into the patients’ bodies at very specific points. According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, energy flows through the body along defined pathways, or meridians. Acupuncture is a means of influencing this energy to induce a desired physiological effect. Points were chosen for these patients along the spleen and stomach/colon meridians in an effort to positively influence blood flow and energy to the uterus and to provide a sedative effect. Additional needles were inserted in the patients’ ears to influence the uterus and stabilize the endocrine system.
Needles were left in place for 25 minutes while the patients rested. The control group also rested, lying still for 25 minutes after embryo transfer, as part of the IVF protocol.
The difference between pregnancy rates for the two groups was notable. In the control group, 26% of the women became pregnant, while 42% of the patients in the acupuncture group became pregnant.
A study done at Harvard showed that stress might reduce the function of the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary-ovarian axis, thus contributing to infertility. Beta-endorphins released via acupuncture intervention interrupts the negative activity of the sympathetic nervous system causing dilation of the arteries facilitating increased blood flow to the uterine lining and ovaries. Thus, the lining thickens and there is sometimes improved egg quality. Acupuncture treatments by a highly trained specialist, used as an adjunct to state of the art biomedical fertility care provides a higher rate of pregnancy followed by a healthy full term pregnancy.
In 2008, the British Medical Journal published research which concluded that acupuncture can be offered as a significant, clinically relevant adjunct to IVF, relaxing the uterus and increasing blood flow for the successful implantation of an embryo within the uterine lining.
For an In-Depth Telephone Consultation Call:
We’re here to answer any questions you may have about our center and the services that we offer. Please call us at 856‑751‑8908.
