How can acupuncture help to achieve a better IVF outcome?
You don’t need to do very much research to discover that undergoing IVF treatment is one of the most stressful experiences anyone can go through.
One of the reasons that the stress associated with IVF is so intensive is that there are multiple pressures that in vitro fertilisation creates.
First – though this may not be the overriding concern for women or couples who have elected to go down this path to parenthood – IVF is expensive. According to figures published by the NHS, each cycle costs £5,000 on average.
When you consider that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimates an average of three cycles are required to elevate the chances of success above 50%, the financial pressure alone is significant.
But on top of that comes the overwhelming yearning for a child and the consequent fear that each cycle will fail.
All in all, the psychological impact of going through IVF can cause enormous levels of anxiety and fear – neither of which are conducive to a successful IVF treatment or an enjoyable pregnancy.
Acupuncture is now the most common complementary treatment used by women undergoing IVF treatment, and such is the positive impact it can have on women using IVF to try to conceive that acupuncture is also integrated into the service provided by many of the world’s top fertility clinics.
Medical studies also support the use of acupuncture in fertility, with research in 1992 showing a 62.5% increase in the success rate for IVF patients receiving acupuncture therapy versus those who received none.
A BMJ study in 2008 produced similar findings and concluded that on average the use of acupuncture during the IVF process produced 10 additional pregnancies for every 100 cycles performed.
How acupuncture can help during IVF
It is believed – through a different study in 2007 – that acupuncture can aid successful IVF outcomes by moderating and regulating stress hormones and other hormone levels (neuroendocrinology) that can adversely affect the implantation process.
Acupuncture also increases and improves blood flow to the uterine lining and positively impacts on vital protein production and immune response.
When should I have acupuncture during IVF treatment?
There are five key phases of IVF and receiving acupuncture at strategic points within these phases can help to promote successful implantation, pregnancy, and birth.
Before IVF starts
The research referenced earlier on has shown that acupuncture on the day of implantation can have a demonstrable positive impact on successful embryo transfer.
However, just as I have always recommended, where appropriate, that my patients commit to a longer course of acupuncture treatments to aid deeper and more prolonged health benefits, so the same is true of acupuncture and IVF.
The development of the egg that, hopefully, will become the patient’s baby is long and complex, with folliculogenesis – the process by which the female germ cell develops within the somatic cells of the ovary and matures into a fertilizable egg – beginning up to a year before any given IVF cycle.
Many women or couples don’t necessarily plan this far ahead, but preparatory acupuncture treatments are essential in aiding successful outcomes, and I would always recommend starting them no later than three months ahead of the planned IVF cycle.
By undergoing this period of preparatory acupuncture, research shows that the chances of successful IVF treatment are further improved.
Usually, this preparatory work is designed to bring order and reliability to the patient’s menstrual cycle. Through this work, ovulation and hormone levels become more regular and more efficient, improving the chances of successful embryo transfer when the time comes.
Because many clinics measure follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to gauge whether IVF treatment is appropriate, acupuncture treatment can also help to regulate this level so that treatment can start
Down regulation or before the period
These phases relate to natural ovary stimulation (normal periods) and those controlled by medication (down regulation). They are also known, respectively, as the short and long protocols.
During IVF treatment, medication is used to effectively pause the menstrual cycle by stopping the stimulation of the ovaries so they can be controlled by drugs.
Whether performed on a long protocol or a short protocol, the aim of acupuncture is the same: to promote the development of healthy mature eggs within the follicles and the development of a healthy and thick womb/uterine lining with the best possible blood flow.
During IVF stimulation
IVF stimulation uses medication to encourage the ovaries to produce more mature eggs than would usually be the case.
Acupuncture at this stage of the IVF process is still focused on improving and optimising the quality and function of the womb lining, helping it both thicken and have a good blood supply.
A patient would normally receive acupuncture twice during this stage of the IVF treatment, with a third treatment recommended should there be any specific and unforeseen issues or problems, such as slow follicular development or thin endometrium.
Embryo transfer
Acupuncture treatment is performed both before and after the embryo transfer. Research suggests this helps to increase blood flow to the womb lining, making it more receptive to the embryo and reducing any involuntary uterine reflex that may be caused by the transfer itself (and which may contribute to the rejection of the embryo).
In most cases, this acupuncture treatment cannot be performed in the IVF clinic (though there are exceptions) which means the patient visiting their acupuncturist before going to the IVF clinic for the transfer, and then returning once the transfer is complete.
Research suggests that treatment 24 hours or more before or after the transfer results in no tangible benefit to IVF outcomes – so time is of the essence here more than at any other point in the IVF journey.
A benefit of the treatment at this stage is that acupuncture is holistic, and therefore works to reduce stress and anxiety, which can also impact on a successful embryo transfer.
After transfer
Once the embryo transfer has taken place, patients must wait for two weeks to discover whether implantation has been successful.
There is little or no evidence to suggest that acupuncture treatments received at this stage of IVF make any material difference to a successful outcome or not.
However, it’s certainly true that this prolonged period before the ‘moment of truth’ can be agonising for patients and their families, increasing stress and anxiety levels that are not good for mental health and resilience. Acupuncture treatment during this waiting period can help to calm stress and anxiety, both of which can also have an adverse effect on physical health.
Beyond that – and assuming a successful and positive IVF result – regular acupuncture during pregnancy can help a mum to be enjoy the experience of carrying her baby and reduce the anxiety that is often a part of the journey to birth.
If you’re already going through IVF or are considering it as an option to start a family and would like to know more about how acupuncture might be able to help achieve a successful IVF outcome, why not get in touch for an informal and confidential chat.