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Once considered an unusual treatment, acupuncture has become a valued and more mainstream method of enhancing an IVF cycle. As successive studies point to it’s efficacy, couples are more comfortable about adding a course of acupuncture to their IVF protocol. You can read more about how we, at the YinOva Center, treat women who are going through IVF by clicking here.

Many of you are familiar with this German study that looked at 160 women undergoing IVF and split them into two groups. One group combined acupuncture with IVF and one group did not. Interestingly the group that did the acupuncture had a 50% better outcome than the group that did IVF alone. Likewise research published in the British Medical Journal showed that women doing IVF who underwent acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer compared with those who underwent a “sham” version of the treatment, or no extra treatment at all. You can read about this study here.

Now some new research may be casting further light on why acupuncture can be so helpful. The study, which you can read here, looks at how acupuncture when given twice a week for about 5 weeks regulates the stress hormones cortisol and prolactin and so improves pregnancy rates.

An IVF cycle can be very stressful. My patients talk about the financial pressure of having so much riding on the outcome of the procedure and how this combined with constant monitoring and taking large doses of stimulating drugs makes them tense and tired. Some studies, like this one by UCSD, have shown that the more stressed a patient is, the poorer the result, because of the way stress interferes with reproductive hormones. The reason this latest acupuncture study is important is that it shows that regular acupuncture treatment can offset the negative effects of stress by regulating stress hormones and so help a patient have the best possible outcome from IVF.

We love helping you have babies here at the YinOva Center and have helped thousands of couples achieve IVF success. Feel free to call and speak to one of our acupuncturists if you want to know more.

Whilst moderate exercise helps relieve stress and prepare a body for a healthy pregnancy, spending too much time in the gym can impair a woman’s fertility, according to a new study of 3,000 women published in last month’s edition of Human Reproduction.

In our book, Making Babies, we suggest that women who are trying to conceive do enough exercise to maintain a normal level of fitness and but that they do it in a way that makes them feel good physically and mentally, not drained or exhausted.  This advice is seconded by Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir, who led the study, ” we found two groups who experienced an increased risk of infertility. There were those who trained almost every day, and there were those who trained until they were completely exhausted. Those who did both had the highest risk of infertility.”

The researchers believe that high levels of physical activity consume so much energy that the body experiences short periods of time where there simply is not enough energy to maintain all the necessary hormonal mechanisms that make fertilization possible.

This correlates with the way traditional Chinese medicine sees the effects of too much exercise on qi. Qi is the word used to describe the body’s ability to warm, move and make transformations. For thousands of years Chinese doctors have cautioned their patients not to deplete their qi, if they are trying to conceive, because weak qi can lead to failure to ovulate or affect the embryo’s ability to implant.

The key is moderation. Too much exercise depletes qi whilst moderate exercise can help build qi. This is supported by previous research which has shown that moderate physical activity gives women better insulin function and an improved hormonal profile. In this recent study there is no evidence of impaired fertility through moderate amounts of exercise. Gudmundsdottir advises that women who want to conceive should still maintain their fitness but avoid extremes.

‘We believe it is likely that physical activity at a very high or very low level has a negative effect on fertility, while moderate activity is beneficial,’ she said.

This week I was interested to read a new study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which showed that ear acupuncture can significantly reduce low back and pelvic pain in pregnant women. You can read the full text of the study here. This is not the first research study to look at this. In fact in 2005 I was interviewed by ABC news about a previous study in the British Medical Journal that also showed acupuncture can help with pregnancy back pain. You can watch that clip here.

Up to 1 in 5 women suffer from back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy. Usually our patients complain of pain in the low back and buttocks although some patients also feel discomfort at the front of their pelvic area. Some women also experience radiating pain down one or both of their legs. Most women tell us that the pain gets worse if they have to stand for a long time. In 7% of women the pain continues after they have given birth becoming a chronic lower back issue.

At the YinOva Center many of our pregnant patients are keen to avoid medication, if possible, and so they choose acupuncture as a gentle and safe way to treat their pain. We usually use a combination of ear acupuncture as described in this recent study and local acupuncture as outlined in the previous study. The local acupuncture works in three ways – the needles act on the nervous system to interrupt the pain signal, the combination of needles causes the body to release chemicals which act as natural pain killers and by needling the spasms we get the knots in the muscles to release.

In the recent study the patients only received ear acupuncture which has a long history of efficacy in China and has been found in clinical research to initiate an endorphin release. 152 women, in late pregnancy, were divided into three groups one of which had small acupuncture needles held in place by tape and retained in three ear acupoints for one week. Another group received sham acupuncture and the final group acted as a control and received no acupuncture at all although they were instructed to rest and take painkillers if necessary.  81% of women in the ear acupuncture group reported a significant reduction in pain as oppose to 59% of the women in the sham acupuncture group and 47% of the women in the control group.

Acupuncture is a time-tested therapy for pain relief and because it has few side effects is one of the safest ways of releiving pain in pregnant women. Most of our patients get relief from the combination of ear and body acupuncture and usually feel much better after 2 or 3 treatments. Other helpful treatments include gentle stretching exercises as well as massage by a qualified prenatal massage therapist and we usually suggest that women do one of these in conjunction with their acupuncture treatment.

Todays blog was written by YinOva acupuncturist and herbalist, Marie Amato, who has a particular specialty when it comes to treating children.

You don’t have to wait for your child to catch his or her next cold to try out acupuncture. We recommend bringing kids in for seasonal tune-ups. The change of season is difficult for many children to transition through and it’s a common time when kids get sick or chronic ailments flare up. A visit to your friendly acupuncturist can help ease this transition and boost your child’s immune system. Our patients bring their children in to see us for help with a wide range of problems including repeated ear infections, digestive troubles, behavioral issues, asthma and allergies.

Children are really interesting to work with from an acupuncturists’ point of view. Our diagnostic skills are used first and foremost in discovering the best form of treatment. Practitioners must rely more heavily on observation, listening, and palpation. Discerning the child’s disposition is also a big part in considering the best course of action. Some kids run right into the office instantly making themselves at home while others hide behind their mothers, feeling very shy or even fearful. These differences among children are obviously going to influence how quickly we get started with the treatment and even how we proceed. It doesn’t do much good to have a screaming child vowing never to return just as long as we get to needle them!

Like the start of any good relationship, it takes a little finessing to get the ball rolling. The practitioner and child check each other out, exchange a smile or laugh. We may even sit on the floor and play with toys or draw a picture. Playtime is actually a valuable period during which we can gain additional information about the child just through observation. Once the child becomes more comfortable, the treatment can progress. Since kids aren’t the most reliable at recounting signs and symptoms, parents are also great sources of information.

You might be surprised at how many children are actually ok with having acupuncture. After a couple of treatments some even start directing where to “put the next flag” (kid-speak for pediatric needle insertion). There are, of course, children who don’t react well to the idea of acupuncture but that’s fine because we always have other tricks up our sleeves.

In fact, because kids are such little balls of energy they respond really well to cutaneous stimulation – so needling is not always a necessary part of treatment. In place of needling, we often use cutaneous electrical stimulation, or our “tickle machine.” This is a favored technique of our 6 and under demographic. Shoni shin is another common modality used in pediatrics. It’s a technique employing several tools used on the skin in a non-invasive way to manipulate the qi on the surface of the body. Most treatments consist of a combination of acupuncture, tui na (therapeutic massage), shoni shin, gua sha (scraping the surface of the skin) and cupping.

I’ve found cupping to be a big hit with toddlers, not to mention really effective in treating all sorts of respiratory disorders. I recently had a very active 16-month-old boy running around the office. He was laughing while looking at himself with cups suctioned to his back. At his next visit, he immediately took his shirt off and started patting his back asking for cups. He said he wanted me to make him look like a giraffe again (the cups leave little round marks on the back not unlike a giraffe’s spots). Kids can even have fun being treated!

Treating children is more like treating a moving target. They definitely keep you on your toes. Their little bodies change so quickly, they can be fine one minute and sick the next. Offering non-threatening acupuncture and its alternatives, often accompanied with Chinese medicine, gives our kid clients at the YinOva Center a head start on feeling and staying healthy … and, often, a chance to play!

Good Morning America on ABC recently reported on using acupuncture to treat children – you can read about it and watch an extract here.

To find out about herbal medicine for children click here.

For other articles about Chinese medicine and children click here.

Recently I blogged about how we at The YinOva Center help couples going through IVF. Some of you emailed or called and asked if we would offer a discount for people who are scheduling an assisted reproductive technique and need to book a series of appointments. We hadn’t thought of this and are grateful for the suggestion. The answer is YES! We are happy to support you in this way. So if you are doing an IVF cycle or IVF with donor egg here are our suggested treatment schedules which you can purchase ahead of time as a package.

Although you will buy your treatments ahead of time you don’t have to schedule all your appointments up front because timing will vary according to your cycle. Also we want to reassure you that should your procedure be canceled we will be happy to give you a refund for the treatments that are outstanding.

We are happy to offer you a discount on the following packages of treatments with YinOva Acupuncturists Margaret Sikowitz, Liz Carlson and Marie Amato. Because timing your treatments is important you may see any or all of our practitioners depending on who is available at the time that fits your ART schedule. To schedule some or all your appointments with Jill Blakeway please talk to our manager Mark Radoncic who will be delighted to help you.

The YinOva IVF Support Package

1 Initial intake prior to start of IVF
1 Acupuncture treatment during menstrual phase, if applicable
2 Acupuncture treatments during stimulation phase
2 Treatments (1 prior to retrieval and 1 prior to transfer; these should be scheduled about 24-48 before retrieval and transfer)
1 Treatment after transfer (24-48 hours after transfer, not the same day)
1 Treatment during luteal phase (usually around cycle day 20-28)

Package Value – $955 YinOva Discounted Price – $850

The YinOva Donor Egg IVF Support Package

1 Initial intake prior to start of IVF
1 Acupuncture treatment during menstrual phase, if applicable
1 Acupuncture treatment to enhance uterine lining (more if necessary)
1 Treatment after transfer
1 Luteal phase treatment

Package Value – $610 YinOva Discounted price – $550

All of these treatment packages are also offered to current patients without the initial consult fee.

ART Packages for Current Patients without the Initial Consult Fee

IVF Package – Package Value – $805 YinOva Discounted price – $725

Donor Egg Package – Package Value – $460 YinOva Discounted price – $415

So thank you YinOva patients for a great suggestion. It is our pleasure to offer you these discounts and as always we appreciate your faith in us. We are happy to support you through your IVF cycle.