IVF, or in vitro fertilization, was developed in 1978 by the British biologist Robert Edwards who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2003 for this procedure. This treatment was a great move forward in the field of reproductive medicine and has helped millions of women conceive in the past 35 years.

In vitro means glass in Latin—fitting since, through IVF, sperm can fertilize eggs in a glass tube in a lab instead of fertilizing eggs in the fallopian tube. IVF brings hope to women who have fallopian tube problems, anovulation, and unexplained infertilities. But the process is complicated, involving large quantities of medication, blood drawings at certain intervals, monitoring follicles under sonograms, egg retrieval, embryo transfer, post transfer emotional stress and financial issues. Patients are often under pressure and very stressed by this process, which may change the environment within the body, lowering the success rate of IVF.

Research has shown that successful in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfers demand optimal endometrial receptivity, which is strongly related to blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries. IVF doctors can predict failure to conceive by using transvaginal ultrasonography with pulsed Dopler curves. Knowing the rates of success beforehand, doctors and patients began looking for help from other forms of medicine other than conventional medicine to increase this success rate. Acupuncture is one of the most effective methods in assisting IVF.

Acupuncture has been confirmed as the best method of stress relief. It involves central mechanisms and generally inhibits the sympathetic outflow. Patients who have problems with stress will feel much better after acupuncture treatments. With these treatments, the side effects of medication such as headaches, insomnia, emotions, bloating, etc. generally decrease during the IVF cycle. Several studies have shown that acupuncture can also help increase the pelvic blood flow to improve the performance of the ovaries and increase IVF success rates. Eva* was one good example.

Eva, a 42 year old woman, had just failed an IVF treatment. She was a mother of two teenagers from a first marriage and had recently remarried a man who did not have children. She loved him and wanted to have another child with him. Eva was a nutritionist and was very careful about what she ate. She knew that age was going to be her main issue. After a while trying unsuccessfully to conceive on her own, she decided to go for IVF treatments as her doctor recommended. Her doctor maximized the medication he gave all older women—375 UI of gonal F and two viles of manopure. She produced three eggs, which were fertilized but none of them successfully implanted. Her doctor referred her to our clinic for acupuncture.

Eva complained of headaches, night sweats and feverish nights during and after the IVF treatment. This condition occurs frequently in women who do IVF treatments around the age of 40, which suggests that their hormones are all over the place after large amounts of hormones had stimulated the body. Her tongue was very red, which indicated a lot of “heat” (acid metabolites) inside her body. This “heat” was cumulated metabolites that could not get out of the body. We have all had this experience: we feel warm, thirsty and flustered when we haven’t had water all day. This is an example of a “head flare up” that disturbs the body.” Using Chinese medicine, treatment can clear away the “heat.”

How does Chinese medicine work to do so? Generally in nature, water carries away heat: rainfall brings coolness to a hot summer day, lakes and oceans can moderate warmer climates. Another opposite in nature, the cold can also be used to clear away “heat in the body.” Drinking fluids and eating fruits and vegetables—such as watermelon, kale, spinach, bitter melon, celery—that are “cold” in nature balance out the “heat” as well. For Eva, I recommended that she stop eating high energy foods like sugar and cheese and instead begin drinking extra water and consuming more “cold” food, like the ones listed above, in order to balance her heat. Once the “heat” had been cleared away, her symptoms would disappear. Simultaneously with her change in diet, we were doing acupuncture twice a week for her to help her manage her stress and increase pelvic circulation to prepare for the next IVF cycle.

After three months of treatment, Eva did a new IVF cycle again with the same protocols as the first cycle. This cycle went smoothly—she no longer suffered from the symptoms from the first IVF cycle. She had five mature follicles in this cycle: three of them were from good to excellent quality. Her doctor put three embryos into the uterus in the 5th day after her egg retrieval and she became pregnant with fraternal twins!

“It was unbelievable,” Eva said, “now I am truly a believer in acupuncture. I feel much healthier. May I continue acupuncture until the baby is born to decrease my stress?” “Yes!” I said. Eva continued acupuncture treatment until 40 weeks and carried two healthy babies to full term.

In my career, I have seen women with longer healthy reproductive years than others. I had a patient who needed IVF help to conceive her daughter at age 41 but naturally conceived her son at age 45—but of her babies were healthy. Eva was one of those women. She worked as a nutritionist and ate healthily, which slowed down her aging speed. Her egg quality was much higher than the average for her age group of woman, but age still took its toll nevertheless—that was the reason why her first IVF cycle failed. But after acupuncture treatment, she produced better eggs and made a healthy baby. Your ovaries may not be in the same shape as Eva’s, but don’t be disappointed: acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplements will help get your eggs to a better quality.

*Patient’s name has been changed for privacy purposes