Acupuncture

Acupuncture for Fertility (him and her)

Please download our leaflet pdf: Fertility' if you are pushed for time, otherwise please read on.

Overcoming fertility issues can be a difficult and costly endeavour. Acupuncture provides an excellent option for you and your partner that is effective, cost-efficient, gentle and completely natural.

Infertility is an increasing problem with 1 in 6 couples experiencing problems conceiving. Although 60% of infertility is due to a problem in the female, 'Baby and Me' recognises the importance in treating male and female partners to ensure optimal pre-conceptual health.


Causes of infertility

The cause in the rise of infertility is not well understood, but it is likely to be multi-factorial and includes:

  • Physiological problems such PCOS, Endometriosis, tubal problems, problems in the uterine cavity
  • Environmental factors such as xenooestrogens in the environment from pesticides and plastics and chemicals found in household products
  • Stress and current lifestyle issues

Chinese medicine offers a very sophisticated understanding of the body and can reveal the underlying imbalances that are making it difficult for you to conceive, and once these are overcome conception can occur naturally. Unless there is an obvious structural condition such as a blocked fallopian tube, acupuncture can greatly increase your chances of a successful conception and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.


Our uses of acupuncture

At the Leigham Practice we use acupuncture to help a wide variety of problems that affect fertility and act to block the chances of conception:

  • Reduce stress levels and anxiety to aid conception
  • Help identify factors contributing to infertility and subfertility
  • Regulate menstrual cycles
  • Address underlying conditions such as Endometriosis, PCOS, PID
  • Promote healthy eggs and healthy sperm to increase chances of conception

  • Promote healthy pelvic blood flow and ovarian artery blood flow which contributes to healthy ovarian function and therefore increased fertility
  • Promote healthy sperm parameters, increasing sperm count, promoting healthy sperm morphology and motility
  • Support and improve success rates of assisted fertility techniques such as IVF, ICSI and IUI

During your treatment:

Both you and your partner’s medical history will be explored

Ladies - your menstrual history will be addressed and you may occasionally be advised to record your Basal Body Temp each month (BBT) to identify ovulation and increase fertility awareness

Both you and you partner will be given comprehensive pre conceptual advice which may include nutritional and general lifestyle advice and we may suggest other medical professionals or complementary practitioners as part of the treatment plan if this would be helpful

A typical course of treatment for fertility acupuncture for both you and your partner may include weekly or fortnightly treatments, depending on the nature of the problem and circumstances. With some types of problem it may be more appropriate to see you at specific times, such as at certain stages in the menstrual cycle. Treatment can take up to 3 months* depending on your diagnosis and nature of it.

*Please note that it takes approximately 3 months for an egg to mature and for new sperm to be produced, so please allow a period of at least 3 months to address any issues and prepare for conception.


Assisted Reproductive Techniques

Assisted Reproduction Technique (ART) is a general term referring to a number of advanced procedures that aid the fertility process if you are unable to conceive naturally. It can benefit you and your partner if you have unexplained infertility and if you have functional or structural damage in your reproductive system. The most commonly used assisted reproduction techniques are:

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

Here the fertilization of the male and female gamets (sperm and egg) occur outside the female body.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

This is a technique in which the prepared sperm is introduced into the woman’s uterus at around the time of ovulation, with the aim of getting the sperm nearer to the egg. This procedure can help couples with low sperm count, unexplained infertility, cervical mucus problems or mild endometriosis.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

This technique is used when the sperm is too few or when they are too weak to penetrate the egg by their own means. The most suitable sperm are sorted and just one healthy sperm is injected in each one of the collected eggs. It is used in cases of obstructed fallopian tubes, male deficiencies and endometriosis.


Our treatments to enhance IVF/ IUI/ ICSI

Our aim is to assist you during your cycle by working alongside of western medicine and taking into account your personal needs to maintain your health and well-being.

  • We can help you in a natural way if you have conditions that can affect your cycle unfavourably such as high FSH poor egg quality, thin endometrial lining and poor sperm parameters.
  • We can use acupuncture to restore your hormonal functioning by addressing underlying patterns of imbalance.
  • We can use acupuncture to improve blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. Increased blood flow means that blood full of oxygen and nutrients will enhance the function of the ovaries and will help to build healthy uterine lining.
  • We will work with you and your partner closely when you start your cycle will advice on treatments depending on whether you are on down-regulation, stimulation, egg collection or embryo transfer.

Medically assisted IVF

A typical medically assisted IVF cycle normally consists of four steps:

1. Ovarian stimulation involves the use of injection drugs like Pergonal, Repronex, Humegon, Follistim, Bravelle, or Gonal-F to stimulate the woman’s ovaries to produce several dominant follicles and help to mature eggs. The procedure normally starts on the day 3 of the menstrual cycle.

2. Egg retrieval - Once the follicles have reached maturity, a shot of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) initiates the final ripening of the eggs, which are either ovulated or aspirated with a needle guided by vaginal ultrasound approximately twenty-four to thirty-six hours later.

3. In Vitro Fertilization – The retrieved eggs are placed in a Petri dish, allowed to incubate for several hours, and then mixed with the partner’s sperm and encouraged to develop.

4. Embryo Transfer - When the dividing embryos reach a specific level of development (three to five days later), the woman is told to come to the clinic with a full bladder. Usually one or two embryos are transferred into the woman’s uterus using a catheter passed through the cervix.

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Some women go through ‘down-regulation’ prior to the start of ovarian stimulation in order to suppress or “switch off” the cycle to help ensure that the eggs produced for ART are as healthy as possible. Down-regulation drugs are usually taken from day 21 of menstrual cycle as a nasal spray or as an injection.


Research

Acupuncture has been shown to help women embarking on ART procedures improve their chances for conceiving and carrying healthy children to term. Numerous studies are being conducted at various IVF clinics which all seem to show that acupuncture improves IVF success rates.

A new analysis by the University of Maryland School of Medicine suggests that women who undergo IVF can increase their chances of pregnancy by up to 65%if they are also treated with acupuncture.

Two major studies have demonstrated a higher percent chance of pregnancy, and more importantly, more take home babies, fewer ectopic pregnancies and fewer miscarriages to those women who had acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer.