Are you trying to conceive?
At Ravae Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine I use The Fertile Life Method to support your fertility journey. This means I can support your needs if you choose all-natural fertility treatments as well as supporting you through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) including in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Basal body temperature and cervical mucous charting are employed to understand the intricacies of the menstrual cycle which enables me to determine whether there is an imbalance in the follicular or luteal phases or the fertility hormones. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine treatments can act as an adjunct treatment to assist with IVF. You can review some information here from Monash IVF outlining the benefits of Acupuncture and fertility.
What does the treatment involve?
The treatment for fertility may include Acupuncture, herbal medicines, nutritional advice and relaxation techniques. The approach is holistic and is designed to create a strong foundation to support a full term pregnancy.
How do Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine help pregnancy?
Acupuncture stimulates the flow of energy in the body and enhances the blood circulation to the pelvic region. It benefits organ function and improves general health.
What is the treatment process?
The initial phase of the treatment involves a period of pre-conception care which addresses underlying menstrual cycle and health issues. Specific treatment plans are tailored to address your individual concerns but it typically takes 3 to 6 months to regulate the hormones and menstrual cycle, improve the quality of ovulation and the ovum and endometrial lining. It is important to note that there are a number of contributing factors such as age or structural irregularities which may impede these results. An essential element of the treatment plan is education to help you to understand what are the signs of ovulation and when is the best time to have sex? Many of my patients find that their menstrual cycle becomes more regular and their ovulation and endometrial lining improves, which is often enough to conceive naturally.
What if I am already undergoing IVF treatment?
IVF is a highly complex process which requires a collaborative approach to enhance its success. Acupuncture treatments will varying depending upon your individual IVF cycle but it is recommended that weekly treatments will assist to reduce stress and anxiety and prepare the body for egg collection by encouraging the flow of blood to the uterus whilst additional treatments are recommended before and after transfer. Dutch and American researches concluded that women who underwent Acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer procedure and 91% more likely to have a live birth. This conclusion was drawn after the researches conducted a meta-analysis of seven clinical trials in which Acupuncture was used to support embryo transfer during IVF (Manheimer, E., Zhang, G., Udoff, L., Haramati, A., Langenberg, P., Berman, B. M., & Bouter, L. M. (2008). Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 336(7643), 545. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE).
What about male fertility?
Male sperm quality and morphology is essential to achieving a successful pregnancy. It is common for men to have a normal sperm count but their motility (movement) and (morphology) may be low which affects the sperms ability to ‘swim’ and penetrate the egg. A 2009 article which studied the impact of Acupuncture on men with oligoasthenozoospermia (low sperm count and motility) determined there was a distinctive improvement in the sperm mobility when compared with control groups (Stefan Dieterle et al., A prospective randomized placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia” Fertility and Sterility Vol. 92, No. 4, October 2009).