Acupuncture Improves Success Rate of Fertility Treatment

Many couples are under tremendous psychological pressure due to infertility. Even if they decide to try fertility treatment (IVF or IUI), they may not be successful at first, and the financial and psychological pressure will increase again.

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1 Acupuncture Improves Success Rate of Fertility Treatment

1.1 How can we improve the success rate of fertility treatment?

1.2 When is the best time to perform acupuncture for pregnancy?

1.2.1 Treatment plan for IVF or IUI

How can we improve the success rate of fertility treatment?

Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture may be essential in fertility treatment (IVF or IUI).

The effects of acupuncture include:

It regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, adjusts the balance of the endocrine system through estrogen regulation and increased b-endorphin, and can be used for ovulatory infertile women. Ovulation is stimulated through this mechanism.
Affect vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), promote angiogenesis, increases blood flow to the uterus and ovary, and improves endometrial and follicular receptivity. This, in turn, enhances the quality of the oocytes produced by the follicle and helps repair the endometrium needed for implantation.
Reduces uterine contractions and prevents the expulsion of embryos after embryo transfer.
Decrease the level of TNF-a in follicular fluid, reduce the apoptosis of granulosa cells and improve the quality of oocytes, thereby increasing the quality of oocytes and improving the pregnancy rate of IVF patients.
It is associated with immune infertility and can improve the pregnancy rate by the local and systemic increase of Th2 cells.
It is known that stress impacts the success rate of IVF, and acupuncture can reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression of infertile patients during treatment.
In sperm, acupuncture can reduce lipid peroxidation or genital inflammation and enhance immune response. Improve testicular blood flow, maintain local testicular hypothermia to provide a suitable environment for sperm production and survival, and increase zinc concentration and fructose in seminal plasma. Sperm quality improved.

When is the best time to perform acupuncture for pregnancy?

Acupuncture from the follicular stage to the implantation stage has a better success rate for IVF.
1-3 months before you are ready to enter the course of treatment
After many failures, cooperating with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture

Treatment plan for IVF or IUI

	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3	Phase 4	Phase 5
Goals	Find out the cause of infertility help patients establish a stable menstrual cycle relieve various discomfort symptoms during menstruation improve uterine environment and ovarian function	Adjust ovarian function improve follicle quality enhance ovarian sensitivity to hormonal drugs increase endometrial thickness *provide more high-quality follicles and a good uterine environment.	Strengthen the function of the endometrium improve the receptivity of the uterine cavity *prepare for embryo transfer	Maintain a good blood supply to the endometrium improve the function of the corpus luteum * help the embryo implantation and healthy development	Roughly similar to the fourth stage of transplantation the goal of nourishing the kidneys nourishing the fetus nourishing the qi * soothing the fetus is continued to prevent miscarriage.
Treatment recommendations	From 3-6 months before IVF surgery, acupuncture can be performed 1-2 times a week, combined with oral Chinese herbal medicine treatment.	Acupuncture can be performed 1-2 times a week.	Do 1-2 times of acupuncture between the day of egg retrieval and the day of transplantation, and once acupuncture before and after the day of transplantation, combined with oral Chinese herbal medicine treatment.	Two weeks after embryo transfer is a critical time for a successful pregnancy, and acupuncture treatment is performed twice a week.	Follow-up visits once a week mainly take Chinese herbal medicine, and reduce acupuncture.
Therapeutic advantages	Acupuncture can increase blood supply to the ovary, increase serum E2 levels, promote follicular development, and improve egg quality. Early treatment, oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine, and acupuncture treatment can invigorate the kidneys, replenish the essence, nourish qi and nourish the blood, and improve the physique of mothers who are trying to conceive and the internal environment of the uterus.	Because in the early stage of IVF, patients need to inject high doses of hormones to promote follicle development. Acupuncture can help increase the number of dominant follicles, enhance ovarian response, and improve the success rate of egg retrieval. At the same time, acupuncture has the effect of soothing the liver and relieving depression, calming the heart, and easing the nerves, which can help pregnant mothers relax, relieve tension and anxiety, and build confidence.	Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can increase the endometrium’s thickness, improve the uterine cavity’s receptivity, and increase the success rate of embryo transfer and implantation. In addition, acupuncture can help reduce abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting associated with egg retrieval.	Acupuncture shallowly punctures specific acupoints on the head and limbs to assist pregnancy, increase the blood supply of the endometrium, and create a uterine environment full of qi and blood conducive to embryo implantation and development. At the same time, adjust the patient’s nervous mood to avoid early abortion.	Suppose the pregnancy test is positive, and the fetus has a heartbeat in the 6-7th week. In that case, the mother’s body is nursed with Chinese herbal medicine, relieving nausea and vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, backache and fatigue, and other uncomfortable symptoms in early pregnancy. Nourishes the healthy development and growth of the fetus .

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