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.

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.

I enjoyed this video by Alice Eve Jones performing an extract from her book, What I Thought I Knew. In it she describes how, after a long struggle with infertility, she was told she was in menopause, only to find out that she was pregnant. Recently Dr. David and I were consulted by a patient in her mid-thirties who was told she was menopausal and that she should give up all hope of bearing her own child. She’s now four months pregnant. Miracles do happen. In fact they happen all the time.

Thanks to Njemile Carol Jones, an fabulous acupuncturist in Maryland for sending me this link. Njemile specializes in OB/GYN with a particular specialty in treating infertility. So if you are looking for an acupuncturist in the MD or DC area she would be an excellent choice.