More evidence that acupuncture improves the outcome of IVF.
December 7th, 2009 by Jill Blakeway, M.S. L. Ac.
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 
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.
Patients who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility often find it a great relief that their seemingly random collection of symptoms make sense from a Chinese medicine perspective. They have usually undertaken a battery of tests by the time they visit us at the YinOva Center and their first question is, “If nothing is wrong, why am I not getting pregnant?”
Chinese diagnosis is based on identifying patterns of disharmony so an acupuncturist will look for signs that have meaning when seen in relation to each other. Two of the most common patterns in women with unexplained infertility are Liver Qi Stagnation and Kidney Yang Deficiency. In our book, 
signs that they have become tight like a pressure cooker and qi is not flowing smoothly. This lack of flow can lead to unsmooth hormone transitions resulting in symptoms such as PMS. At the YinOva Center we give these patients a very well known Chinese formula called Xiao Yao Wan and treat them with weekly acupuncture to move qi. We know they are getting better when they no longer have PMS and many of them then go on to get pregnant.
The Tired Type describes someone who has metabolic issues that effect their reproductive hormones. They usually complain of fatigue, feeling cold and weight gain. At the YinOva Center we put them on a warming herbal formula and suggest they eat warming foods. We give them weekly acupuncture often with moxibustion, a warming herb. We know that they are getting better when they tell us they have more energy and that their hands and feet are not cold anymore. At that point many of them go on to get pregnant.
Fragile X is a genetic disorder and is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment and cognitive problems including some forms of autism. It is caused by a mutation of the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. The mutation turns off the production of the FMR1 protein which in turn affects brain development. People with Fragile X suffer from mental impairment which can take the form of anything from very minor learning difficulties to severe cognitive problems. They may be hyperactive or over sensitive to stimuli and they may have short attention spans. Physically people with Fragile X may have a long narrow face, prominent ears, enlarged testicles and loose joints. Approximately 1 in 2000 boys suffer some kind of mental impairment due to Fragile X. The disorder also affects girls but the incidence is lower and the symptoms tend to be milder. This is because girls have 2 copies of the X chromosome whereas boys only have one. This means that girls have 2 copies of the FMR1 gene so if one is mutated a girl has another copy of the gene to fall back on. Boys only have one X chromosome.
Fragile X syndrome is carried on the X chromosome. Since men (XY) and women (XX) each have at least one X chromosome, both parents can be carriers.
If a mother is the carrier, she can pass the gene defect to either her sons or her daughters, since she contributes an X chromosome to each. If, as a woman, you are a carrier you have a 50% chance of passing the gene on because you have two X chromosomes and only one of them is affected. So if you are a carrier you may not pass on the defect at all or you may just pass on the premutation or your child could inherit the full syndrome. Sons who have fragile X are at high risk of intellectual disability but daughters who receive the fragile X gene may appear normal because the have two X chromosomes and only one is affected.
A simple blood test can establish if you are a carrier of Fragile X and the degree to which this mutation is likely to cause problems for your child. Geneticists classify the gene mutation into three categories based on the number of repeats of a pattern of DNA called CGG repeats. Individuals with less than 60 CGG repeats have a normal gene. Individuals with 60-200 CGG repeats have a premutation which means they do have a small risk of their child suffering from Fragile X syndrome and that risk is directly related to the number of CGG repeats. Parents with over 200 repeats have a full mutation which causes fragile X syndrome.
As for my patient. She fell into the middle ground in that she had the premutation and so was at a small risk of passing on Fragile X. Fortunately we live in a time when we have access to good genetic testing and advice. Her doctor was able to reassure her that, because the number of CGG repeats was low her risk of passing this disorder on to her child was minimal. An amniocentesis at 16 weeks was able to confirm her doctor’s prediction and she was relieved to hear that her baby was just fine.
when she had a thought. She facebooked me to suggest that we start collecting fertility-friendly recipes and publishing them here on the blog. I loved the idea and thought her first two recipe suggestions were great. I’m growing cucumbers in my garden so her creamy cucumber soup sounds wonderful and her second recipe for a spicy lentil soup is a fabulous hot weather idea.
2 T. butter
Saute ginger, garlic, lemongrass, onion, and optional jalapeno in olive oil, until fragrant (leave the ginger & lemongrass large enough so that you can remove the pieces from the soup later). Add water, coconut milk, red lentils and salt. Cook until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove lemongrass & ginger pieces. Add cilantro, scallions, spinach and cook until spinach is wilted (but don’t overcook!). Add salt and lime juice to taste. Yummy!