Category: Fertility & IVF Support

1.  Manage Your Weight
   Being either underweight or overweight can significantly reduce your chances of getting pregnant. One study involving the analysis of 2,112 female participants found that women with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-39 required twice the length of time to become pregnant as women with a healthy BMI of less than 19.
2. Eat More Liver
   Some people might turn their head at the thought of eating liver, but it’s actually a delicious dish that can prove helpful in boosting your fertility. In fact, a report published by the Weston A. Price Foundation found liver to contain more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. Whether it’s beef or chicken, liver contains vitamin A, vitamin B, protein, folic acid, iron, purines (precursors for DNA) and more.
3. Eat More Seafood
   Seafood–  fish, oysters, clams, mussels, lobster, crabs, etc. – are an excellent food for boosting your fertility. They contain large amounts of zinc, iron, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, omega fatty acids (the good type of fat), and other essential nutrients, many of which are directly linked to the body’s reproductive system. When choosing seafood, however, it’s recommended that you opt for smaller-sized fish to minimise your consumption of mercury. Because of its large size, tuna carries a heavy dose of the toxic chemical mercury, and therefore should be consumed sparingly.
4.  Acupuncture
   You might be surprised to learn that acupuncture can improve your chances of conceiving. Back in 2002, a team of German researchers performed a study to determine the effects of acupuncture on fertility. Researchers split 160 women who were trying to conceive into two groups: one group received acupuncture, while the second group did not it. They concluded that 42% of the women who received acupuncture got pregnant, whereas only 26% of the control group got pregnant. Does this mean acupuncture will guarantee a pregnancy? Not necessarily, but this form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is proven to help couples conceive in less time.
5.  Cut Back on Processed Foods
   Many women who struggle to conceive eat far too many processed foods. While a fast food burger and fries may seem appetising, it forces heavy amounts of saturated fat, sodium and even sugar into your body while offering little-to-no real nutritional value. Fertility experts say women should focus on a more natural diet if they want to conceive.

Acupuncture and traditional Asian herbal medicine comprise the oldest medical system in the world. Evidence suggests that acupuncture has been in use since as early as 300 B.C. Literally thousands of years of research and development have gone into the system we currently have in acupuncture infertility treatment.

Acupuncture has been shown in many clinical trials to be of benefit to couples having difficulty with conception. Acupuncture can increase pelvic blood flow, decrease stress, improve ovulation, improve overall sperm quality, and generally increase conception and live birth rates in patients suffering from an inability to conceive. Clinical trials have also shown that acupuncture increases pregnancy rates in patients undergoing assisted reproduction therapies, including intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization.

Among other things, acupuncture is known to reset the hypothalmic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which reestablished normal hormonal levels. Acupuncture is effective in treating all functional aspects of infertility including advanced maternal age, endometriosis, luteal phase defect, polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure, and unexplained infertility.

In the same way that acupuncture effects female infertility, it is frequently used in the treatment of male infertility as well. While the anatomy of the male is obviously different from the female, the energetic function of the male is quite similar and the treatment principles remain intact. Acupuncture has been shown to affect all parameters of sperm analysis, as well as male sexual function.

In patients who are not undergoing IVF or IUI treatment, frequently traditional Asian herbal medicines are used to enhance fertility along with acupuncture treatments. Herbs are used to nourish the body so that the patient can attain greater levels of reproductive health.

Over the last twenty years or so there has been an increasing interest by Western doctors in acupuncture for the treatment of many disorders, including, but not limited to, both female and male infertility. Mainstream OB/Gyns have begun referring their patients for the treatment of endometriosis, menstrual cramping, and menopausal symptoms

General pregnancy support program

Modern clinical trials have shown acupuncture, in conjunction with IVF, to significantly improve the chances of a successful pregnancy.

If you are considering IVF, it is helpful if you are able undergo 2 or 3 months of Chinese medicine treatment prior to beginning IVF to help prepare your body.

During IVF, you may or may not be able to use herbal medicine, depending on your circumstances, however acupuncture is always compatible and well tolerated.

Treatments can be flexible and are able to take your individual circumstances into account, but as a guide, we generally suggest weekly acupuncture during the IVF cycle. Then towards the end of the cycle, treatments are timed with your egg collection and pre and post embryo transfer.