15 Dec Combined osteopathy and acupuncture in assisted reproduction treatments

By Virginie DELUZET

Acupuncture has been approved by WHO since 1996 for the treatment of reproductive disorders.

“We speak of subfertility when there is no pregnancy after 18 months of regular intercourse”.

This affects more than 15% of couples today.

Increase your chances of pregnancy with acupuncture and osteopathy

Acupuncture, through its natural energetic approach, helps regulate hormonal balance, improves energy and blood circulation by intervening in functional blocks related to stress and constitutional fatigue. It also acts on the quality of cervical mucus and on the lining of the uterus.

Acupuncture brings the body into an optimal state of relaxation and balance, which helps create the ideal conditions for pregnancy.

Osteopathy, on the other hand, acts mechanically, removing obstacles that could prevent pregnancy.

In osteopathy and acupuncture, a full assessment is often offered to evaluate which is the best option or whether it is advisable to use both.

3 key moments to do a session:

Osteopathy helps find the best time to eliminate physical blocks that can lead to subfertility. One or two sessions a year of guided osteopathy help us achieving certain benefits for our body.

• The first part of the cycle focuses on stimulating the ovarian follicles to induce ovulation.
• During the pre-ovulatory period, the endometrium is prepared to improve and enhance implantation.
• At the end of the cycle, focus is shifted on improving the quality of future follicles

Ideally and when possible, we suggest having regular acupuncture sessions for at least 3 cycles.

Protocol for assisted reproduction support sessions

It is therefore particularly interesting to have an acupuncture session before and after the transfer of embryos during an assisted reproduction treatment (artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization).

One should bear in mind assisted reproduction hormonal treatments can be stressful. Hence, the importance of acupuncture and osteopathy in their role to keep a state of physical and emotional well-being.

In the early phase of pregnancy, acupuncture helps to relieve the frequent nausea of the first trimester of pregnancy. More regular follow-up is recommended from the sixth month of pregnancy. Morphological changes that occur during pregnancy can cause pain in certain areas of the body that can be treated either by osteopathy or acupuncture, depending on the case.  At the end of the pregnancy, acupuncture sessions will focus on preparing the cervix and enhancing immunity in both mother and fetus.

Overall, we can say that acupuncture produce multiple benefits on many aspects our lives. In our specific case, we focus on maternity and the search for pregnancy, improving ovaries function and quality of the eggs. Acupuncture regulate the hormonal system and helping patients to relax and reduce the stress load before and during the assisted reproduction treatment.