13/08/2009 by Acupuncturewithjenny.

Ideally, the majority of patients experiencing unexplained fertility problems will have tried acupuncture before opting for IVF. If you have resorted to exploring the IVF route, it is best to prepare your body as much as possible by having regular acupuncture treatments a few months in advance.

Recently, a systematic review and meta-analysis of several good quality trials was published in the British Medical Journal.**

Systematic reviews are considered the gold standard of medical research and in this paper the authors conclude having acupuncture on the day or day following embryo transfer significantly increases your chances of clinical pregnancy.  On average, the authors found, for every ten women treated with acupuncture alongside IVF, one additional clinical pregnancy would occur.Statistics aside, going through the whole IVF process is generally an incredibly stressful time. People report time and time again they truly value acupuncture to help relieve the stress and to regain some control within the process.

Best wishes to all and remember the Chinese saying; ‘where the mind goes, energy flows’ so be relaxed and positive in all you do.Jenny Sercombe MBAcCPracticing in
Manchester and
Stockport. Call 07970 515 391 if you wish to make an appointment.* * ACUPUNCTURE AND IVF

website   www.acupuncturewithjenny.co.uk

Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysisBMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE, (Published 7 February 2008) 

Posted in Alternative medicine, Accupuncture and IVF, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | No Comments »

03/08/2009 by Acupuncturewithjenny.

Growing evidence indicates acupuncture can significantly increase the chances of couples conceiving*.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient system of medicine originating in
China several thousand years ago. Practitioners observed the nature of all things and considered our bodies to be a microcosm of the world around us.

You have probably heard of the terms ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’. Essentially these are ways to describe the nature of something.  In the case of water for example, its ice state would be ‘Yin’ in relation to the liquid ‘Yang’ (more movement and less dense). However its liquid state would be ‘Yin’ (less movement and more dense) in relation to steam which is more ‘Yang’ in comparison.  This language of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ is also used to describe the functioning of the body.

The practice of acupuncture involves the insertion of disposable, hair-thin, sterilised needles into points situated along channels of energy just beneath your skin. The insertion of these needles promotes your body’s own healing response, restoring the balance of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ considered essential to good health.  We know from Western medicine that this process stimulates the release of hormones such as endorphins into your blood stream creating a very relaxed state. Often people are very surprised to find they frequently fall asleep during treatment.

Costs and Frequency of Sessions

An acupuncture treatment, depending on your location will cost in the region of £30-£60 per session. In general, treatment for infertility will require 3 months of weekly treatments. Over this time it is usually possible to gain a significant influence over your menstrual cycle in order to bring your body into balance and provide optimum conditions for conception.

Male factor infertility is likely to require a similar length of treatment in order to boost sperm count and increase seminal motility.If you have had prior problems with miscarriage it is also recommended to have regular treatment during the first trimester of pregnancy.

General Advice

Recommendations for both partners include;· 

 Refraining from smoking and any recreational drugs·      

 Cutting out alcohol and caffeine·          

Avoiding pesticides and chemicals and therefore eating healthily with plenty of organic produce·        

Men should avoid using laptops where possible as the heat can affect testicular function·    

Chill out! This aspect is often overlooked, but is perhaps the most important. Find at least 20 minutes to unwind completely each day. ‘Zoning out’ to the TV does not count. Try relaxation techniques or going for a walk in nature while really taking in your environment.·        

Gentle exercise such as yoga, tai chi or pilates are all great for unwinding, relaxing and getting the blood flowing to the places which need it. Or women could even join a belly-dance class – this has been used for thousands of years to increase fertility (and to entice men…)

If you do decide to explore acupuncture it is strongly recommended you approach only members of the British Acupuncture Council as you can rest assured your practitioner will have studied acupuncture to degree level, is fully insured and commits to a programme of continued practitioner development. They will carry the letters MBAcC after their name.

Be wary as there is currently no state regulation of the profession.

Best wishes to all and remember the Chinese saying; ‘where the mind goes, energy flows’ so be relaxed and positive in all you do.

Jenny Sercombe MBAcCPracticing in
Manchester and Stockport.

Call 07970 515 391 if you wish to make an appointment.

website   www.acupuncturewithjenny.co.uk

* ACUPUNCTURE AND FEMALE INFERTILITY 

A report (Fertility and Sterility 2002;78:1149-1153) found the pregnancy rate in a group receiving acupuncture was 42.5%, compared to the group which did not receive the therapy, where the rate was 26.3%.

Posted in 2WW, Alternative medicine, Accupuncture and IVF, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | 2 Comments »

11/06/2009 by admin.

Just read this interesting story online about how fertilty retreats run by alternative medicine practioners are helping couples to conceive. 

Stress may be a factor in many cases of unexplained fertility. We all know cases of couples who have had difficulty conceiving, and may have been referred for IVF who then take a holiday from trying to conceive while waiting for their appointment. Many go on a holiday thinking this may be their last chance before starting treatment and then conceive on holiday!

A friend of mine had been trying for some time, had been through several cycles of IVF without success. They had almost given up-then her partner bought a gorgeous 2 seater sports car. We joked that she was now bound to conceive-and she did on her next cycle of IVF ! They are now the proud parents of a lovely baby boy. She also had accupuncture weekly during this cycle.

Here is the link to the fertility retreats story

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,25590988-5014090,00.html

Posted in Alternative medicine, Accupuncture and IVF, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | No Comments »

06/10/2008 by admin.

A friend of mine who has recently been undergoing IVF has been having accupuncture to aid conception. When she told me I was initially surprised and maybe a tiny little sceptical, but I have since been researching it and found quite a lot of support for this alternative therapy. 

 A recent study at University of Southampton has discovered that one in three women given accupuncture alongside their IVF treatment successfully conceived. The success rate for those who did not combine fertility treatment with acupuncture was one in five.

When i read this the first question I asked was :

How many women were in the study ?

The answer : more than 2000 women

 To me that seems a fairly significant number

The study discovered that the chance of the embryo implanting successfully & triggering pregnancy, increased if the patient was treated with acupuncture at about the same time as the embryo transfer. However if the acupuncture took place days after the fertility treatment the benefit was lost.

How does the accupuncture help ?

No-one really knows how the accupuncture helps conception. One idea that has been put forward is that it may help to reduce the stress that the women is going through, and help her to cope with the treatment. Acupuncture appears to reduce stress by releasing endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are chemicals that the body releases that suppress pain naturally, as well as affect hormones that influence the menstrual cycle.  

One thing is for sure in my opinion, anything that improves the outcomes from fertility treatments has to be a good thing.

And the really good news is, my friend conceived in her first cycle of IVF coupled with accupuncture.

This subject has been covered quite a lot in the national press-here are some links below

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/health/3042006/Acupuncture-helps-women-have-babies.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/21/medicalresearch.health/print

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1059549/Acupuncture-helps-IVF-women-babies.html

Here is some older research finding on the same subject

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1933901.stm

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2002/jul/07ivf.html

Posted in Accupuncture and IVF, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, IVF | 10 Comments »