Archive for 'IVF'

Increase Success Rate for IVF or Insemination with Acupuncture

Posted on August 16, 2012 Julie Chang, L.Ac.

Why Use Acupuncture with IVF or Insemination?

The field of fertility acupuncture exploded after the 2002 publication of a landmark study published in Fertility and Sterility by Paulus et al. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) by comparing a group of women receiving acupuncture treatment shortly before and after embryo transfer with a control group receiving no acupuncture. The results of the study showed pregnancies in 34 of 80 patients (42.5%) in the acupuncture group, whereas pregnancy rate was only 26.3% (21 out of 80 patients) in the control group.

Many acupuncture clinics use the protocol as performed in the 2002 study. However, due to our extensive experience in treating fertilty issues, we at Zen Fertility Center developed our own protocol and have significantly higher success rates than the 2002 benchmark study.

As shown in the chart below, Zen Fertility Center’s success rate when using fertility acupuncture with IVF far exceeds IVF alone thanks to the experience of our staff and our ongoing research in fertility acupuncture.

Why IVF alone often isn't enough

Posted on January 13, 2012 Julie Chang, L.Ac.

The journey from the time you decide to have a child to conception, then pregnancy, and hopefully a beautiful, healthy baby is a process. For some, this is a relatively brief trip because everything happens as it should. For others, this can seem like an interminable and exhausting marathon lasting years. Who knows why so many women and couples have fertility issues? Many factors come into play such as stress, inadequate nutrition, lack of exercise, and poor lifestyle habits. These are some that you have control over and account for over 95% of infertility issues. The other 5% is due to genetic factors that cannot be changed so require western medical treatment.