FERTILITY SPIKE FROM ACUPUNCTURE

Fertility spike from acupuncture

* Adam Cresswell, Health editor
* From: The Australian
* February 09, 2008 12:00AM


WOMEN having IVF treatment can boost their chances of falling pregnant by 65 per cent simply by having acupuncture.

A review combining the results of seven previous studies has found that acupuncture also increases the chances of having an ongoing pregnancy (beyond 12 weeks from gestation) by 87 per cent -- and nearly doubles the chance of a successful live birth, increasing that by 91 per cent.

The authors of the review, published online yesterday by the British Medical Journal, said the results suggested that just 10 women would need to be treated with acupuncture in order to bring about one extra pregnancy.

In all the studies, together involving 1366 women, acupuncture was given within 24 hours of the embryo being transferred to the women's wombs.

It is poorly understood how fertility could be affected by acupuncture - the insertion of fine needles into the skin at specific points along invisible "meridians".

The review's Dutch and US authors suggested it might work by stimulating fertility hormones, increasing bloodflow to the uterus, or reducing stress.

They said that, although their results might have inflated the positive effect of acupuncture, it was probably still highly cost-effective because of the cost differential.

In Australia, women generally pay about $5000 out of pocket for IVF treatment, compared with about $100 for acupuncture.

There were more than 46,000 IVF treatment cycles provided in Australia in 2005, a rise of nearly 14per cent on the previous year.

The results were welcomed by Australian IVF experts. Peter Illingworth, medical director of the Sydney-based clinic IVF Australia, said his clinic already advised women about acupuncture and referred them to suitable providers.

Although there were many herbal and other complementary treatments claiming to boost fertility, the new study confirmed a belief that acupuncture was one of the few that actually worked.

"What this new study shows is that this effect is statistically significant, and is real," Associate Professor Illingworth said.

"As a doctor practising in Australia, I would regard it as fairly convincing evidence. But some couples might take the view that they have more than enough needles inserted into their bodies as it is with an IVF process."

The advantages of Acupuncture during IVF treatment and natural fertility

Acupuncture works in the following ways:

1. Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, which dramatically improves a woman’s response to hormonal therapy.

2. Acupuncture has been shown to regulate hormone levels by moderating the release of beta endorphins levels in the brain, which improves the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.

3. Acupuncture reduces stress and a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system response.

4. Acupuncture has been speculated to moderate cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin levels in the uterus, reducing uterine motility to improve implantation rates.

5. Herbs nourish the blood, whilst acupuncture moves qi, which facilitates the movement of blood. It has been claimed that some herbal formulas produce high clinical pregnancy rates as well as improve the general wellbeing of patients.

The following descriptions below will describe how acupuncture can integrate with Western Medicine. Each point is directly linked to the points above.

1. There needs to be adequate blood flow to the developing ovarian follicle. This is essential to the initiation and maintenance of normal human pregnancy. Doppler ultrasound evaluation of uterine and ovarian blood flow has demonstrated that improved blood flow in either vascular system is associated with improved fertility outcomes. Women who respond poorly to ovarian stimulation for IVF have compromised blood flow to their ovarian follicles.

2. There are 4 phases in the menstrual cycle. During each phases various hormones are released. The most common cause of infertility is hormonal imbalance.

3. From a Western Medicine perspective, people who are under stress release the hormone cortisol in the brain. Cortisol alters the brain’s neurochemical balance thus changing hormone levels and disrupting the pituitary balance, which is the key to the reproductive cycle. Because of this delicate balance between the hypothalamus, pituitary and reproductive glands, stress is capable of preventing a woman from ovulating entirely.

4. For IVF transfers and implantations the endometrium needs to be of particular
density and thickness for successful implantations and fertilization. The uterus therefore needs to be in a relaxed state.

5. The menses is based on the condition of blood.