IVF SUPPORT
Acupuncture for IVF Care
At Thames Acupuncture we guide you with over 20 years experience in IVF and Assisted Conception.
Working hand-in-hand with you and your consultants, we help you navigate your precise fertility journey and support you in choosing your best treatment options.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with high FSH, had frequent miscarriages, or suffer unexplained infertility - we investigate the root causes and treat you with our totally natural signature therapies.
Recent clinical studies show that combining Acupuncture with your IVF cycles could help:
• Optimise your chances of implantation and full-term birth
• Reduce stress and help you relax before and through the IVF journey
• Minimise symptoms associated with Hormone treatments
Whether you are considering your first IVF cycle or you have been through several, Acupuncture is a totally natural, non-invasive option to enhance your experience and results.
At Thames Acupuncture we provide IVF support for every kind of Assisted Conception technique available today. FET, fresh IVF cycles, Egg and Sperm Donor cycles, IUI, PGD, ICSI and many others.
Clinical trials have shown that acupuncture performed before and during and post IVF increases blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. In addition, acupuncture regulates fertility hormones, which may contribute to follicle development and increased implantation.
Stress and anxiety that comes with a clinical fertility journey could be dramatically reduced, and your body’s response levels to medication greatly improved.
Acupuncture & IVF Timetable
The IVF Medication Phase : Before, During & After
Your options range from preconception programmes, to one or two treatments at your transfer day, to flexible series of ongoing treatments, leading to IVF transfer and onward continued care.
Jessica’s IVF Acupuncture Plans strictly adhere to years of successfully-tested and clinical Fertility methods.
FOR THE BEST RESULTS :
1. Begin regular Acupuncture 3-Months before you start your IVF Medication.
3-menstrual cycles of treatment before your IVF drugs optimises your hormone strength.
This delivers the best chance for best results.
We need to get your body to its MOST regulated hormone cycle NATURALLY, before the drugs.
Initially we see you frequently, i.e, once a week, to regulate your menstrual hormones. After the first month we can see you less frequently if your condition allows for it.
2. During Medication schedule Acupuncture around scans and drug protocols
Once medication begins we adhere to the protocol that you will be following with your IVF Clinic.
Long or short or frozen, even donor, cycles have precise needs at specific stages and we aim to enhance the effectiveness of each stage.
Generally sessions once a week at this stage are appropriate and we will carefully look at your roster and time our acupuncture and other fertility treatments in line with your exact needs.
3. Plan to have Acupuncture at precise times before Egg Retrieval, at Embryo Transfer and after IVF
Schedule your Acupuncture and our other holistic treatments specific to our recommendations.
Help yourself get the best chances of a happy and successful fertility journey.
We always provide treatments to improve your hormone and your mental health before you face every next step..
Acupuncture & Embryo Transfer
Two Acupuncture Sessions : Around your embryo transfer
1. Before embryo transfer:
Your first treatment is a fertility Acupuncture treatment increasing uterine blood flow and balancing hormone activity
2. After embryo transfer:
Your second treatment is after transfer aiding implantation and reducing muscle contractions in the womb. Additionally its to relax you and decrease the high levels of stress hormones from the events of the day. Stress hormones are inhibitors to the hormones needed for implantation.
This protocol is the same for frozen embryo transfers (FET).
Acupuncture during this time is highly recommended by many fertility clinics worldwide and several clinics incorporate Acupuncture as part of their IVF series.
Jessica will endeavour to offer flexibility for embryo transfers and has a network of timing and locations available if needed. Home visits are possible when available, at variable rates.
For many years we have worked alongside major fertility clinics in greater London and international IVF clinics around the world.
Our network and knowledge of the clinic protocols, consultants and their resources can help you plan your Acupuncture experience more easily… around your transfer, as well your entire IVF cycle.
Acupuncture Post Embryo Transfer
Acupuncture before your Pregnancy Test
DURING YOUR TWO WEEK WAIT:
1. After the embryo transfer, implantation occurs between 1-4 days, depending on which day the transfer was performed - this can be a good time frame for a post IVF session to further aid implantation & calm excitement and anxiety.
2. A second treatment during the two weeks can support you emotionally, to ease impatience and promote relaxation during your waiting phase. Stress hormones can interfere radically with reproductive hormones.
On average the success rates for IVF conception is usually 20-30%-- depending on the clinic. An renowned German IVF study showed a 26% success rate was achieved for women with NO acupuncture, while a 43% success rate was achieved WITH acupuncture. Other worldwide nations have achieved similar results. Most recently a British journal report suggests Acupuncture could improve IVF success rates by up to 65%. (BMJ. 7 Feb, 2008)