Acupuncture for Fertility

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Traditional Chinese Medicine is often seen as the ‘complementary treatment’ of choice in fertility support.  Stress and hormonal imbalances are frequently considered as factors in fertility problems and there is evidence to show that acupuncture assists female fertility by reducing stress levels, balancing female hormones and improving blood flow to the uterus.  Acupuncture may also assist with male fertility issues such as poor sperm morphology, motility or low sperm count.  Ideally, both partners are treated with acupuncture

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Clinical Research suggests that infertility issues such as high FSH levels, irregular menstrual cycles, PCOS and endometriosis may be helped by acupuncture as it:

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• increases blood flow to the uterus (thickens endometrial lining & aids implantation)

• increases ovarian blood flow (better ovarian response & more mature follicles)

• increases male sperm count, motility and morphology

• reduces stress and promotes relaxation by decreasing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and helps women with PCOS, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, pelvic inflammation

• regulates the menstrual cycle, reduces pre-menstrual symptoms & period pain

• lessens the side effects from hormone treatments

• (from BAcC factsheet, date?)  

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Acupuncture for IVF Support

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Evidence for the Acupuncture
I commonly recommend that you start Acupuncture treatment 1 – 2 months prior to starting your IVF cycle.  Once IVF has commenced we base your treatment schedule on your IVF plan.  Often weekly treatments are recommended until the day of embryo transfer when we schedule two treatments as close to the transfer time as possible- one before and one after.

 

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