ART( Assisted Reproductive Technology) and IVF
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been shown to have a 70% increase in the success of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), including:
IUI (Intrauterine Insemination/ Artificial Insemination)
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
Egg Freezing
FET (Frozen embryo Transfers
Donor Egg Transfers
Preparing for ART
Whether your journey to creating a tiny human with ART starts in 4 months, 4 weeks, or 4 days, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can support you in all ways..
Acupuncture treatments received around the time of transfer leads to increased success rates, likely by increasing uterine blood flow, reducing uterine contractions, and balancing the nervous system. This is true even if your transfer is just a few hours away, acupuncture can have a positive impact.
Whenever possible, we believe in working together well in advance of your ART cycle. Three to six months spent balancing and improving your health, and increasing circulation and nutrition to the reproductive system using targeted acupuncture, diet, lifestyle modifications, herbs and nutritional supplementation, can dramatically improve egg quality. We know that the portions of egg development that take place in the months (typically 90 days) prior to follicular recruitment can be positively influenced with all of the above, as can the ovary’s capacity to respond to treatment.
Sperm development follows a similar 3-month cycle, and male factor infertility issues are similarly best addressed starting at least 3 months before an active cycle.
IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)
When working with women going through IUI, we focus on regulating and optimizing the four phases of the menstrual cycle. Depending on your medical protocol and the timing of our work together, we may use acupuncture alone or acupuncture in combination with herbs and targeted supplements.
Many studies have demonstrated how Chinese medicine greatly increased chances for conception and decreased miscarriage.
Acupuncture used alone or together with herbs and or nutritional supplements has been shown to:
Increase blood flow to the uterus
Improve ovarian function
Regulate hormones
Prevent uterine contraction
Lessen side effects from medications
Regulate the immune system
Decrease the chances of miscarriage
Reduce physical and emotional stress and anxiety
Improve sperm quality and quantity
As women’s health and fertility experts, we have years of specialized training necessary to support you through all aspects of your ART journey.
IVF
It’s most beneficial to begin working with you three months in advance of your active IVF cycle, but like we said above, we can have a positive impact on outcomes no matter where you are in the process. We focus on balancing your hormones, improving uterine blood flow, looking at any constitutional deficiencies, optimizing nutrition, and keeping your nervous system ( ie: your emotions) calm. We want you to be hopeful and excited but also calm and relaxed throughout the journey.
Donor Eggs/ Donor Embryos
If you are using a donor egg or donor embryo , our focus will be to balance your hormones, improve circulation and prepare the uterus for implantation. We do this while supporting and balancing your constitution, and keeping your emotions calm and peaceful.
Egg Freezing
Similar to IVF, we will design a treatment plan to balance your physical body and emotions in the 3 months ahead of your active cycle. This will include weekly acupuncture treatments. After your egg retrieval you may decide to discontinue treatments, as there will be no immediate embryo transfer to prepare for. You may decide to continue treatment if you are planning to do an FET ( frozen embryo transfer ) in the coming months, plan on doing more than one egg freezing cycle, or if you want to continue working on other areas of your health.
