Improve your IVF success rate with Acupuncture

Infertility is more common than we think. Statistics have shown that 40% of married Singaporean couples who are actively trying for a baby are “not happy” with their progress. Many factors such as stress in our lives, our sedentary lifestyle, chemicals and toxins from our environment or the food we eat, may cause infertility.

 

 

To help more couples fulfil their baby dreams, Oriental Remedies Group will be sharing a series of articles on fertility issues, for both male and female fertility. Whether you are:

• Trying to conceive naturally
• Going through assisted reproductive technology such as IUI
• Preparing or going through IVF, fresh or FET cycle

We will share how TCM can be used to help condition the body for conception naturally and via assisted reproductive technology such as IUI and IVF. The path towards conception can be long and daunting and we hope to help educate and bring practical solutions for couples.

For this specific article, we will look at how TCM can help the female during the IVF process.

 

 

Fertility Series: Acupuncture for females during IVF

What is IVF?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child. During IVF, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a laboratory. Then the fertilized egg (embryo) or eggs (embryos) are transferred to a uterus. One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.

 

How can acupuncture help?

Research has proven that TCM can help condition your body and therefore increase the success rates with IVF.  This can be done through various ways such as through taking herbal medication and acupuncture. In this article, we will discuss how acupuncture complements IVF.

 

1) Effect on Ovarian Follicles

Acupuncture has positive effects on ovarian follicles and assists in ovulation. Modern medicine believes that acupuncture helps to regulate the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis system, which improves the secretion of various hormones such as the follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, progesterone etc.^[1]. This enhances ovulation in the individuals^[2].

 

Farnoosh Bidouee’s study^[3] on acupuncture in 120 infertile patients who received artificial insemination discovered that ovulation is improved after acupuncture. 

 

 

2) Effect on Ovaries

During IVF, follicular growth after ovulation induction is dependent on the blood supply of the ovaries. Studies ^[4][5] have shown that acupuncture in IVF patients increases the blood flow to the ovaries as compared to the placebo acupuncture group and control group. Therefore, acupuncture can improve the blood circulation in the ovaries and uterus, which helps to promote the growth and development of follicles.

 

3) Effect on Endometrial Receptivity

Endometrial receptivity is a temporally unique sequence of factors that make the endometrium receptive to embryonic implantation. It is closely related to the success of implantation and pregnancy. Various conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and luteal insufficiency can affect endometrial receptivity. Zhong et al^[6] has concluded that acupuncture is effective and safe to use in women with low endometrial receptivity, thereby increasing the chances of pregnancy.

 

 

4) Effect on Emotions

IVF is a process that can be emotionally intense and stressful for the couple, especially so for the female who has to go through hormonal changes, side effects of drugs and potential complications of the medical treatment. The most common psychological challenges of infertile patients are depression and anxiety. These adverse emotions may be due to various factors such as high treatment cost, frequent blood draws, intramuscular injections, side effects of various complications etc.

 

A number of studies ^[7][8] have shown that consecutive sessions of acupuncture from the day of injection of gonadotropin till HCG day, can reduce the excitability of the sympathetic nervous system, relieving negative emotions which aids in increasing the pregnancy rate.

 

All couples who are preparing to start a family naturally or for those who are undergoing assisted reproductive technology, such as IUI and IVF can benefit from doing acupuncture to condition their bodies.

 

 

What is the treatment schedule for acupuncture in IVF patients?

Timing is essential during IVF and therefore there is also a recommended treatment schedule for acupuncture on IVF patients. The schedule is as below:

Your journey is the most important!

In Oriental Remedies Group, we have more than 10 certified bi-lingual TCM Physicians. Each of them has been trained in both Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and China for a minimum of 5-8 years, in both Biomedical Science and TCM before being certified to practice in Singapore. Specifically, we have Physician Poh who specializes in female fertility, gynaecological conditions and beauty.

IVF is a procedure that takes time, effort and great determination. The chances of success if higher when the female further prepares her body for the procedure. With current research on how acupuncture complements IVF, we hope to be able to help more females trying for IVF.

Do contact us at +65 8742 2163 for a personalized consultation to help you with your worries.

Also, when it comes to fertility, it really does taks two hands to clap. The male partner who does his part to ensure that the sperm quality is optimal for use during IVF increases the couple’s chances. Do refer to our earlier article by male fertility expert, Physician Lim, to find out more about improving male fertility in order to improve quality of sperm – Improving Male Fertility Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

For those who wants to start a family naturally and wants to find out how you can prepare yourself and your partner, do also look out for our other articles on fertility.

 

This article is written by Senior Physician Leong Weizhen, with contributions from Senior Therapist Hannie Hong.