There were two major researches done to investigate the result of acupuncture to improve the successful rate of IVF.

Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture (Department of obstetrics and gynecology, kvinnokliniken Sahlgrensh Sjukhuset, Golhenburg, Sweden): electric acupuncture was applied twice a week for 4 weeks starting from the induction of ovulation. The result showed that acupuncture can reduce the blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries, which allowed more blood supply to the uterus during IVF.

Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy (Department of Reproductive medicine, Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Germany & Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, P.R.China): acupuncture was performed in 80 patients 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer. Clinical pregnancies were documented in 34 of 80 patients (42.5%) in the acupuncture group, whereas pregnancy rate was only 26.3% (21 out of 80 patients) in the control group.

Other documents also show that acupuncture is effective in ovulation induction and also the remission of OHSS (Ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome) induced by HMG. Acupuncture can also decrease miscarriage and ectopic rates.

Briefly, acupuncture can assist IVF in the following ways:

• To improve blood flow to the uterus
• To promote ovulation
• To make the body more adjustable to the hormones used during treatment
• To decrease stress level
• To avoid OHSS, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy

Dr. Yan’s IVF Support Schedule

The sooner you start acupuncture, the better result you can get. So start it as soon as you can before the IVF begins, and keep it in a weekly basis.

• Once a week during nasal spray suppressant period
• Twice a week during ovulation induction with electric stimulation
  One treatment one day before the transferring and one just after
• If the woman has low progesterone, keep acupuncture twice a week till pregnant. Still keep acupuncture once a week for a certain period of time to avoid miscarriage.

For questions on IVF techniques and how can acupuncture help, please ask the experts at: www.ivf.ca