Over the last two blogs I identified how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be used to: regulate ovulation and the menstrual cycle; improve egg quality, men’s fertility health and the thickness of the endometrial lining; as well as increase cervical mucous. The Fertility & IVF Acupuncture Clinic also carries out other fertility related treatments, some of these are:
IVF preparation: This can commence months before an IVF cycle. The longer the preparation, the better the chance of improvement. Treatment of this nature involves acupuncture and herbal medicine but the herbal medicine will stop once the treating IVF specialist prescribes medication. IVF preparation is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing poor egg quality.
Acupuncture as an adjunct to IVF: This is when the acupuncture is administered during the IVF cycle. Due to a possible risk of co-interaction with the IVF medication, no herbal medicine is taken during the IVF cycle. This treatment consequently only involves acupuncture. Best practice requires two treatments per week as well as one immediately before and after the IVF transfer. A subsequent treatment is given one week after the transfer.
Post conception treatment: Once a positive pregnancy test has been achieved, treatment still continues for the duration of the first trimester. This treatment involves both acupuncture and herbal medicine. Treatment continues on weekly basis up until the seven-week scan, then fortnightly until the end of the trimester.
