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Some good reasons why you should think about having acupuncture before and during your IVF cycle

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There are several good reasons why you should think about having acupuncture before and during your IVF cycle

……..or maybe why you shouldn’t !

 

 

Spoiler alert …..

If you are young, and healthy and doing IVF only because of male factor or blocked tubes, acupuncture might not benefit you as much as it could other IVF patients.

UNLESS you are feeling a bit stressed about the whole thing, then you should definitely consider it.

Here is all the latest information about Acupuncture and IVF Read More →

Embryo transfer (including frozen embryo transfer)

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Our clinics offer one or two acupuncture treatments around the time of embryo transfer where appropriate. These are based on protocols used in clinical trials some of which showed an increase in pregnancy rates in certain groups of women receiving acupuncture (most commonly those for whom the expected pregnancy rate was 30% or less). The most recent study has found that this small “dose” of acupuncture showed no effect on live birth rate in a large population of women of all ages undergoing IVF, compared with sham acupuncture . Some researchers report better results with more frequent administration of acupuncture before and during the stimulation phase of the IVF cycle. (You can find the references for these trials here, and here)
In our clinic we find that IVF patients appreciate the calm and relaxation that acupuncture brings on this special day, and gives them space to honour the arrival of the precious embryo.

Influence of acupuncture on the outcomes of in vitro fertilisation when embryo implantation has failed: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial.

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di Villahermosa D et al, Acupunct Med. 2013 Vol 31, 2, p 157
Acupuncture in Medicine (BMJ)

In this RCT, a group of researchers in Brazil gave acupuncture and moxibustion to patients who had not achieved a pregnancy after 2 IVF cycles. Treatment was administered during the stimulation phase of the 3rd IVF cycle and after embryo transfer. Significantly more women in the acupuncture group conceived compared to the control groups.

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The effect of medical clowning on pregnancy rates after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer

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Friedler S et al, Fertility and Sterility 2011, Vol 95, Issue 6 , Pg 2127
Fertility and Sterility  

In this partly randomised prospective trial, Dr. Friedler and colleagues tracked 219 women undergoing IVF treatment and treated half of them to a medical clown’s 15-minute routine of jokes, magic tricks and other clowning immediately after their embryos were implanted. Those women who had a good laugh after their transfer fell pregnant more often than did the control group. The authors note that ways to relieve stress at ET may be useful.   Read More →