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How Acupuncture can help IVF Outcomes

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 1.6 percent of all infants born annually in the United States are conceived using assisted reproductive technology or in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is big business and it is not cheap. The average cost of an IVF cycle costs $12,000 (and up), and that doesn’t even include the medications that can run between $3,000 and $5,000.

This is where acupuncture may be able to assist.

Many fertility doctors are now recommending acupuncture, as it can improve a woman’s chances of conceiving by up to 60%. There have been multiple studies conducted that show the rates of live births nearly double in cases where acupuncture was used. Here are some ways acupuncture can help IVF outcomes.

How acupuncture can help:

Acupuncture can help IVF by improving blood flow to the uterus. This has been verified through the use of ultrasound. Increased blood flow to the uterus can create a more hospitable environment for implantation of an embryo.

Reduce stress to increase success

Another factor that plays heavily in the world of conception is a woman’s stress levels. When a woman is undergoing in vitro fertilization, she is under a lot of stress, both physically and mentally. This can lead to increased amounts of stress hormones that are actually detrimental to the body and may inhibit fertility.  Again, this is where acupuncture treatments can help. Regular acupuncture treatments have been shown to decrease overall stress levels, making the fertilization procedure a little easier for the body.

Read our previous post here on how acupuncture can help with hormone regulation

Lastly, acupuncture has been shown to improve the response of the body to in vitro fertilization medications. IVF medications cause multiple follicles to grow, and the higher the number of mature eggs retrieved, the greater the likelihood that one of those eggs will get fertilized, resulting in an embryo for implantation into the uterus.

It is usually recommended a woman begin acupuncture a couple of months prior to the IVF procedure. This will increase the chances of conception. Here, Eastern and Western medicine work very well together. If you’re considering in vitro fertilization, acupuncture might be a welcomed addition to the mix.

Give our office a call, (425) 686-4498 to schedule your initial consult today to learn more about our Fertility Acupuncture Program.

Dr. Ellie Heintze, ND, LAc, is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist in Bothell, WA at her practice Starting Point Acupuncture. She specializes in chronic and complex cases and commonly treats neuropathy, fibromyalgia, migraines, autoimmune, and infertility cases. Dr. Ellie Heintze is also the author of the book, A Starting Point Guide to Going Gluten-Free  and Keep Calm and Zen Out available on Amazon.