In our new book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I warn women not to rush into IVF. In our experience many women who undergo costly and exhausting IVF treatments don’t actually need them. You can read more about our views in this interview we gave to the UK Sunday Times.

This has caused some of my patients to ask me if I am “anti-IVF” and I’d like to use this article to set the record straight and let you know that I believe modern assisted reproductive techniques are truly miraculous for couples who need them. The risks involved are very small and well worth taking when you consider the benefits. At any given time about 25% of our fertility patients are undergoing IVF so here at the YinOva Center we support hundreds of women each year who are using these technologies. We are thrilled when you are successful and happy to play a small part in that success.

Does having acupuncture increase the likelihood of success with IVF?

Clinical research seems to suggest it does. One German study took 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. You can read a BBC article about this study here. In 2008 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.

How does acupuncture help an IVF cycle be more successful?

Here at the YinOva Center we use acupuncture every day to treat those of you who are undergoing IVF and we are proud of our success rates. Our positive experiences are echoed by recent research which shows that acupuncture can promote the circulation of blood in the pelvic cavity and improve ovarian function. Acupuncture may also be beneficial in promoting follicle production, enhancing uterine blood flow and thus improving uterine lining thickness and decreasing uterine contractions after embryo transfer.

How does IVF support at the YinOva Center work?

Whilst acupuncture works for some people straight away, it doesn’t necessarily work over night and the effects tend to be cumulative so, ideally, we would like to see our patients once a week in the two months leading up to IVF. If this isn’t possible, it’s still worth you coming in to see us when you start your IVF cycle. We see our patients twice a week when they are taking the follicle stimulating drugs and we like to schedule a treatment before egg retrieval as well as another before embryo transfer. Finally we ask our patients to come in for treatment 24 – 48 hours after embryo transfer so that we can do an acupuncture treatment to prevent uterine spasm.

Should I take Chinese herbs during IVF?

The quick answer is no. Very occasionally, here at the YinOva Center, we do prescribe herbs for a patient going through IVF if she has a history of poor response to the stimulating drugs and if her doctor agrees. However, for most people the herbs can make your response to stimulating drugs unpredictable and we have found that most reproductive endocrinologists would prefer you not to combine them with IVF treatment.

How can I find out more?

Feel free to call us at the YinOva Center and ask to speak to an acupuncturist. All of us have years of experience in women’s reproductive medicine and we all treat women undergoing IVF on a daily basis. We are always happy to talk to you about your concerns.

Due to popular demand the YinOva Center is offering a FREE “Ladies Who Lunch” workshop on Wednesday, September 16 from 12:30 to 1:15pm at the Center.

We invite you to bring your lunch and we’ll provide the drinks while you learn from our newest staff member Nicole Kruck, LMT on how to use massage to enhance your fertility and reproductive care naturally. And for “dessert” – if you bring a friend you will be entered into a drawing to win a free 30 minute massage.

We look forward to seeing you!

RSVP to Nicole at  nkruck@YinOvaCenter.com

Those of you who sneaked a peek at our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility, in the YinOva waiting room, already know what their fertility type is. It’s so much fun when you come into the treatment room and tell me – “Guess what ?- I was reading your book and I’m a stuck!”

The book isn’t out until August 12th but you can find out your fertility type online – take this quiz and find out whether you are a tired, pale, dry, stuck or waterlogged.

The UK Sunday Times published extracts from the book this week and an interview with Dr. David and I, which you can read here. The book is called the Fertility Plan in the UK. Once you’ve worked out your type you can download a great chart from that the Times put together giving specific advice tailored to your type (PDF) Fertility Types

www.makingbabiesprogram.com (USA)
www.thefertilityplan.com (UK)

Health News Digest just reviewed our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility. To hear what they had to say you can either click on this link or read the full review: -

Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility By Dr. Sami David and Jill Blakeway

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – After a few months of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child, more couples than ever before are being referred to infertility clinics. And while fertility medicine today is all about aggressive surgical, chemical, and technological intervention, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Sami David and acupuncturist Jill Blakeway know a better, more natural way.

In their book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility (Little, Brown; August 12, 2009; Hardcover; $25.99), Dr. David and Ms. Blakeway offer a proven 3-month program designed to help any couple get pregnant, through a marriage of their respective professions: Western and Chinese medicine.

MAKING BABIES presents a three-month program designed to prepare the body for healthy, natural conception. It covers the basics of how the human reproductive system works (you might be surprised by what you learn!) and the lifestyle factors that can impede or enhance fertility. David and Blakeway also clarify nutrition for optimal fertility, both what to eat and which supplements to take, and not to take.

David and Blakeway have developed five fertility types based on their collective clinical experience: Tired, Dry, Stuck, Pale, and Waterlogged. (Almost all Western infertility diagnoses divide neatly into these Chinese medicine categories.) Readers take a quiz to find out which type they are—and which combination of types—and then they can turn the page to find tailored advice and insight on the possible causes of their fertility problems, lifestyle choices that could enhance fertility, to surprising strategies for increasing fertility, such as taking cough medicine, decreasing doses of fertility drugs, or getting acupuncture along with IVF.

MAKING BABIES demonstrates that with careful diagnosis, basic fertility education, and simple but detailed diet and lifestyle advice, many couples using ARTs (assisted reproductive technology) could conceive much more naturally. If any drugs or other interventions turn out to be necessary, minimal doses and less invasive procedures can be used, reducing risks as well as unpleasant side effects—all while increasing success rates. And the risks are real. Studies have shown that birth defects are thirty percent more likely with IVF. Repeated rounds of fertility hormones can lead to cancer. Unused embryos present thorny ethical problems around the issue of disposal.

MAKING BABIES is a must-have for every woman trying to conceive, whether naturally or through medical intervention. Dr. David and Blakeway are revolutionizing the fertility field, one baby at a time.

About the authors:

Dr. Sami David was the first doctor to successfully perform IVF in New York. He is a reproductive endocrinologist who focuses on conservative approaches to infertility. Jill Blakeway is a licensed Acupuncturist and Board Certified Herbalist, and founder and clinical director or the YinOva Center, an alternative health service for women in New York City. She has been called a “fertility goddess” by the New York Times.

MAKING BABIES:
A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility
By Dr. Sami David and Jill Blakeway
Little, Brown
On sale: August 12, 2009
Hardcover / $25.99 / 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0316024503
ISBN-13: 978-0316024501

www.makingbabiesprogram.com

In our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I recommend abdominal self massage as a way of helping to enhance fertility by increasing blood flow to the uterus. In the book there are detailed diagrams of different self-massage techniques for every phase of your cycle. This massage is partly based on the Maya Abdominal Massage™ developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo and partly based on the extensive clinical experience of our own Nicole Kruck. We encourage anyone trying to conceive to book a session with Nicole where she will teach you the self massage techniques that are in the book.

I asked Nicole to answer some frequently asked questions about using abdominal massage to enhance fertility and her answers are below.

What can I expect in my initial treatment with Nicole?

Nicole Says:

The initial session consists of an intake, massage and “Self-Care” massage instruction. Many times guided meditation and breathing exercises are also included. I individually tailor the treatment to each client’s specific needs and comfort level.

We review the intake form together and start to put the pieces of the puzzle in place create a clear picture. I use the information you give me on the intake form to map out how we will resolve current issues as well how we can achieve long term health goal.

What is the massage treatment like and what does it do?

Nicole says:

During the massage much of the focus will be on the abdominal area. This gentle external massage is intended to remove blocks in circulation, lymphatic drainage, nerve connections & scar tissue or adhesions. It also strengthens uterine ligaments to reposition a wandering womb.

Attention is also given to postural alignment which may also create many reproductive problems.

Is that all there is ?

Nicole says:

No. The point of our sessions is to give you knowledge that you can use yourself at home. You will learn how to do your own simple abdominal massage treatment on a daily basis. This supports you to, literally, take your health “into your own hands” in between sessions.

How long before I can expect change in my conditions?

Nicole says:

With regular sessions and dedication of your self care practice at home. You should begin to see a change within your first cycle.

What do I need to know to schedule my appointment?

Nicole says:

There are 2 options for an initial treatment at the YinOva Center:

You can book a single two hour initial consult or some people choose to see me throughout one cycle and book four, one hour treatments over the course of a month.

After that you don’t necessarily need to come in and see me every week for treatment, especially if you are doing your own self-massage regularly, but it is important to come in periodically for follow up treatments so that we can assess your progress, make any necessary changes and make sure that you feel confident in with your own Self-Care massage at home.

“Is there anything I can do to make it more likely that my baby is a girl?”.

This was a question that one of my patients asked me a couple of weeks ago. She already has a little boy and, although she’d be happy with another boy, she would dearly love a baby girl. She is not alone. A recent survey showed that almost 80% of couples do have a gender preference when trying to conceive a child. Obviously a healthy baby is the priority and for many of my patients, who have struggled with infertility, a healthy baby is all they dream of. But if you do want to tip the scales in one direction there are some (far from foolproof) things you can do.

The first thing to understand, if you want to influence the gender of your child, is how nature selects the sex of a baby. This is determined by the sperm. Each sperm contains one chromosome, an X for a girl and a Y for a boy. Nature has organized it so that there are slightly more male sperm than female – for every 100 female sperm there are 110 male ones. The ovum or eggs also only contain one chromosome but this is always an X. So if the sperm is carrying an X chromosome and it is combined with the X in the egg, the fetus will be a XX or girl. If the sperm is carrying a Y chromosome and it is combined with the X in the egg, then the fetus will be a XY or boy.

Next we need to look at how the X and Y sperm differ. Y (boy) sperm are smaller and weaker than X (girl) sperm but they are speedier and can move faster than their female counterparts. Bearing in mind that the X (girl) sperm are tougher (and I know we’ll get comments about THAT in the YinOva waiting room next week!) anything that makes it harder to conceive is more likely to result in a girl. Conversely, bearing in mind that Y (boy) sperm are speedier, anything that makes timing more accurate so that the fastest sperm reach the egg, is more likely to result in a boy. The areas where we can have some influence and affect the gender of an as-yet unconceived child are the timing of intercourse, sexual position and vaginal environment.

Timing intercourse to influence gender

If you have sex right at or near the time the egg is released, then the speedier Y (boy) sperm will make it to the egg quickly and you will most likely have a boy. If the sperm are released two or three days prior to when the egg is released the Y (boy) sperm will die off and there will be more X sperm left waiting for the egg to appear and fertilization will most likely produce a girl.

Sexual Positions and their effect on gender

Again remember that the X (girl) sperm are hardier so anything that makes it more difficult for the sperm to reach the egg favors them. The missionary position is the most beneficial position when it comes to conception and so is (slightly) more likely to result in a Y (boy) sperm reaching the egg first. Other positions that are shallower will give a small benefit to the X (girl) sperm.

Vaginal PH and it’s effect on gender outcome

The quicker but weaker Y (boy) sperm thrive in an alkaline environment whereas an acidic PH will give the X (girl) sperm a bit of an edge since the environment will be too harsh for the Y (boy) sperm. So you may want to try to create an acidic PH to conceive a girl baby. With this in mind some have found that a diet high in calcium and magnesium can favor a girl and a diet high in potassium and sodium can favor a boy. Having an orgasm can effect the vaginal PH as it creates an alkaline environment that is more favorable to boys.

There are some other, unproven, methods that some of my patients have told me about over the years. One is Lydia Pinkham’s Herbal Compound. This is a Victorian fertility tonic which is thought to help women conceive a girl, because it creates an acidic environment in the vagina. Another is the Chinese Conception chart which was first discovered in a royal tomb near Beijing more than 700 years ago. The chart cross-references the baby’s month of conception and the mother’s age to predict gender. Some studies claim the chart is more than 90% accurate and I have to admit that our YinOva mothers that have used it have had success. You can find an explanation of the chart here.

Jill Blakeway is the coauthor of Making Babies: A Proven Three Month Program for Maximum Fertility and the Clinic Director of the YinOva Center in New York City. A former Professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she specializes in using acupuncture and Chinese herbs to treat women and children.