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ACUPUNCTURE, INFERTILITY
& IVF
Innovative Healing
Center is
here to help whether you want to conceive a child naturally or if you are
looking for treatment to compliment western medical procedures like IVF.
Here at Innovative Healing Center we have aided patients to begin
ovulating and menstruating again through the natural regulation of hormones
and often people who have lost hope turn into happy parents a year later.
Optimal results occur when the male and female are treated simultaneously.
Please feel free to give us a call at 972-742-1152 or email us at
tenascarber@innovativehealingcenter.com, and we will be more than happy
to answer any questions you may have.
A number
of studies and clinical trials have been run over the past few years showing
how conception rates have fallen in the past 30yrs. This is in partly due
to women waiting to become pregnant until later in their lives, poor sperm
quality, stressful lifestyles, poor nutrition and little or lack of
exercise. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and/or dietary therapies alone or
combined can be utilized for maximum results. At Innovative Healing
Center, we offer personal nutritional programs, selected advice on the
best forms of exercise and stretching, individual recommendations on
supplements and Chinese herbs to improve one’s fertility and heal any
illness or imbalances which could be contributing to unexplained
infertility. This is all part of our comprehensive approach with our
fertility enhancement program.
NATURAL APPROACH
Using a
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approach is essential to correct any
imbalances in your bi-phasic Basal chart or menstrual cycle, by mainly
balancing the estrogen and the progesterone levels (otherwise known as Yin &
Yang in Oriental medicine). If you are experiencing any PMT
(pre-menstrual tension), cramping or pain, irregular cycles or lack of
ovulation, problems with menstruation and/or any other blockages like
Endometriosis and PCOS will need to be addressed.
The combination of acupuncture to regulate your cycle, herbal supplements to
nourish the blood/kidneys and clear any menstrual irregularities, and diet
changes should see a return to a normal, almost painless menstruation and
regular ovulation. If your cycle is already regular, painless and free from
complications, then acupuncture can enhance and boost your system while
trying to conceive naturally.
IVF APPROACH
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can offer a path to follow for a
healthier body and lifestyle approach and can aide couples conceive
naturally, improve sperm quality and quantity, and improve the chances of
achieving a first time IVF implantation and conception with little
side effects.
It is preferable to prepare the body before IVF treatment begins,
however, we can still assist, if your IVF program has already begun.
Clinical research validates that early intervention with acupuncture and
herbal tonics increases the success rate of conception by about 40% and
improves the number and quality of eggs/follicles.
The highest rates of conception occur when regular weekly treatment is given
before and during the IVF cycle. Treatment is also recommended the day
before egg extraction and on the afternoon of any fertilized egg
implantation, these treatments help to relax the uterus for collection and
enhance the "holding" function of the implantation. Research is easy to
find on the internet or available upon request.
WOMEN OVER 35
It is essential to improve monthly cycles and strengthen the body for
pregnancy in order to lessen the chance of miscarriage, especially for those
in the mid to late 30’s and early 40’s + age groups. Nine months of labor is
hard on a body, which is normally primed for pregnancy between the ages of
21-28. Here at Innovative Healing Center we assess your biological
age and work with you to get your body healthy and strong in order to
optimize your chances for a successful pregnancy. Women who have followed a
healthy, natural lifestyle with regular exercise and a good balanced diet
and little or no vices (drugs, smoking, alcohol, stress ), have a promising
outlook if they decide to have a baby later in life.
MEN
Men are still 50% of the equation, and in 40% of all infertile
couples, it is the man’s sperm quality at fault.
Diet, lifestyle, TCM medicine and Acupuncture
can really help to improve a man's sperm quality. Stress reducing
techniques, anti-oxidants, certain good vitamin/mineral supplements and
super food groups can all assist as well. Studies have
found that just 5 weeks of Acupuncture can improve men's sperm quality.
Sperm abnormality is
not as complex to fix as a woman’s hormones. Men make sperm in their testes
every few days, whereas women only have a finite number of follicles that
can become eggs. Male sperm fertility has reduced dramatically over the past
few decades due to poor diet, work stress and environmental pollutions
(mobiles, computers, fertilizers etc). Thankfully, with Acupuncture and
Herbal treatments we can increase sperm count and motility which is
paramount in optimizing success.
One in twenty five men
also have sub-fertility, according to a Scottish study covering 7,000 men.
From 1989 to 2007 men’s fertility levels dropped by 33%, so in less than 2
decades rates have dramatically fallen.
PCOS &
DIET
Diet has a big effect on the functioning of the Ovaries, any excess
weight and /or lack of exercise will seriously affect the release and
implantation of follicles and eggs. It will also contribute to the
increasing gynecological problem of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS),
which causes irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. PCOS is the medical
term for cysts around the ovaries affecting the proper functioning hormonal
flow of a woman's cycle. In the US, 5 million women have PCOS, which
equates to about 5-10% of all women of reproductive age. Most are diagnosed
on ultrasound (about 20-25%), and now we are finding that up to 50% of
teenage girls have PCOS which could be due poor diet, lack of exercise
and/or inherited.
Even
losing 5-10lbs has a massive effect on the body’s hormone and insulin
levels!
Other studies have found a link between PCOS, the metabolism and Type II
Diabetes with insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Too many sweet, oily/greasy and dairy foods can cause or exacerbate
PCOS. In Chinese Medicine PCOS is classified as being a Damp +/or Phlegm
condition that causes an obstruction to the fallopian tubes & Uterus
impairing implantation and fertilization. Acupuncture with herbs and diet
can bring this under control.
The effects of weight loss on a woman’s fertility from a recent study
showed that:
* Over 6 months with 10kgs lost = 90% ovulated, 77% got pregnancy and 67%
had Live births.
FERTILITY
STATISTICS
In IVF the egg and fertilized sperm are implanted regardless of a
woman’s menstrual irregularities. This is one reason why their success rates
are about 15-20% for pregnancy, of which up to 50% may miscarry
in the first trimester for women 35+. These are worrying statistics and can
be gleaned from some of the IVF clinics own published rates. This shows that
Acupuncture not only helped more women conceive than IVF but more
importantly there were fewer miscarriages.
Recent studies combining Acupuncture & IVF in Germany have increased
these percentages to 40%, and combined with Chinese herbs up to 60%, for
conception. (April 2002, Dr. Wolfgang, E Paulus et al, Fertility &
Sterility Vol.77).
ICSI –
ICSI is an acronym for intracytoplasmic sperm injection - which is a long,
fancy way of saying "inject sperm into the middle of the egg". This will
usually result in normal fertilization in approximately 70-85% of eggs
injected with viable sperm. Another small study
found that receiving Acupuncture before ICSI found sperm fertilization rates
increased to 66%, compared to only 40% without Acupuncture
ENDOMETRIOSIS
This condition is where endometrial tissue is growing outside of the uterus.
Endometriosis produces mucus which can obstruct/distort fallopian tubes and
ovaries, cause low progesterone levels, and abnormalities in the endometrium
which prevents implantation of the fertilized egg and damages the sperm.
5 million women suffer from this condition in America and worldwide
89 million women have it. Symptoms include the following:
·
pelvic pain
·
painful periods
·
premenstrual spotting
·
painful intercourse
·
infertility
·
others - diarrhea, constipation, pmt, pain on defecation
Some women experience no pain or any of the above symptoms, except
infertility. Western medical treatment finds it difficult to cure
endometriosis and uses pain killers or surgery to treat it. From the
Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective if the women is ovulating and
menstruating (albeit painfully) this is actually easier to treat than PCOS.
TCM uses a lot of blood moving tonics and Acupuncture to clear and
reduce the endometriosis.
To help reduce this painful syndrome a special dietary program
consisting of Chinese herbs and recommended supplements will be given to the
appropriate patients.
UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY - A Natural Balance
The more men & women live in accordance with Nature and follow a sensible
balanced diet of organic produce when possible, the more their chances
increase of falling pregnant naturally. Our lifestyles also have to
be addressed, with regular exercise, weight management programs, stress
reducing techniques and a determination to focus upon one's own
health and happiness.
The more we move away from that focus the more our bodies become out of
balance!
Unexplained infertility is therefore a frustrating diagnosis and it
does not tell you anything that you do not already know. This is where a
Traditional Chinese Medicine approach can pick up the bits of information
from a holistic approach and offer a common sense explanation and treatment
protocol.
About 30% of all cases of infertility in women and 25% in men are
labeled as unexplained causes (re: Dr. Randine Lewis, The Infertility Cure).
TCM offers a way of addressing the manifestation of the problem and
determination of the cause. Generally, there is always some sort of sign or
symptom that has been overlooked, either issues with the menstrual cycle or
feelings of cold, heat, tiredness or stress. When these imbalances are
addressed, the reproductive system can begin to function normally and the
chances of natural conception increases.
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