FERTILITY ACUPUNCTURE CASE STUDIES
Age 38, tried for two years to become pregnant. After 4 months of acupuncture she fell pregnant but then decided to stop the treatment (it is recommended to continue with treatment until 14 weeks) and suffered a miscarriage. The following year she underwent two IVF treatments alone which both failed. Returned for a further 3 months of acupuncture, fell pregnant and continued with the treatment during the early months and had a healthy son.
Age 36, trying for a second child, first was a natural pregnancy 4 years earlier. Suffered from severe periods pain, ovarian reserve 0.06, specialist consultant advised that she wouldn't be able to get pregnant by herself and suggested assisted fertility treatment. Had 6 weekly sessions of acupuncture and after only 2 weeks the period pains had reduced by 50%. The following month she fell pregnant. She continued with weekly acupuncture for a further 3 months and gave birth to a daughter.
Age 43, had an FSH level of 70 and was referred by her doctor to the menopause clinic at Queen Charlotte Hospital. Here periods were regular. Following a course of acupuncture her FSH level went down to 11 and three months later she fell pregnant and went on to deliver a full term healthy son.
Age 37, suffered from severe period pains and had two uterus fibroids, size 18-22mm. She was advised by a Specialist to have an operation to remove the fibroids as they had grown so quickly in just 6 months and were expected to continue to grow. She started a treatment of acupuncture rather than have the operation and after 10 months the same specialist advised that the fibroids has stopped growing. 6 months later the periods pain stopped completely. She went on to fall pregnant and gave birth to a full term healthy baby.
Acupuncture for IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) – case notes
Sperm motility improved after 3 unique treatments before the IVF, patient's email:
"His sperm motility was 90%, which was fantastic and amazing. Going from 28% to 90%!!! so they were actually able to try the ivf and not icsi."
Patient’s letter following repeated unsuccessful attempts
"Dear Feng,
It worked - I am pregnant! We are so thrilled (although obviously we know that it's still very early days) and both Charlie & I wanted to thank you so, so much for all your support. None of this would have been possible without your treatment getting us to the right place.
The ARGC are checking my hcG and progesterone levels every 2-3 days to make sure that everything is going in the right direction (progesterone was low to begin with but they have given me extra and all is well at the moment).
Thank you so much again." She gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Jean (aged 40) was a professional lady following five unsuccessful IVF treatments. She was about to try again, and was extremely nervous. She had not previously has acupuncture in conjunction with IVF. She had acupuncture treatments for a month and also before and after the sixth IVF, she conceived successfully. She and her partner, who had previously lived in separate houses during the previous two years, decided to live together, and were settled and happy.
Mary (aged 28) was a happily married lady, but both she and her husband wished to start a family. For reasons, which no-one could understand, she could not conceive. Having endured six failures with IVF, with a friend for moral support she finally decided to seek help with a course of acupuncture. After two months of acupuncture, complemented by infusions of Chinese medicine, with great emotion, she one day reported that she was pregnant. She remained concerned about the possibility of miscarriage, and was able to be reassured that this was neither less nor more likely than for any other pregnancy.
Two months into the pregnancy, Mary experienced mild bleeding, which had plainly been brought on by overwork in relation to her family and commitments to friends. She had not at that time told anyone that she was pregnant. A treatment of acupuncture stopped the bleeding, but she also agreed on the paramount importance of easing up; others would have to manage without her. A further complication lay in the fact that she was a mild epileptic. With acupuncture symptoms of epilepsy were reduced, and medication could also be scaled back to a minimum during the remainder of her pregnancy. Mary gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Clinical note: As a general rule for obstetric cases, women under 30 years of age need acupuncture treatment at least once a week for a period of three months. This period of treatment doubles after the age of 30. Depending on the problems, women with uterine fibroids may need between 7 – 12 months of continual treatment. Men with poor fertility will usually achieve an increase in both sperm quality and quantity with two months; in their cases, acupuncture and/or laser acupuncture will be required twice a week.
For blocked tube patients, multichannel laser with/without needle acupuncture is preferable to needle acupuncture alone.
Acupuncture for Clomiphene treatment patient
Heather (aged 30) and her husband (aged 34) had been trying for a baby for 18 months. Heather had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), and was about to embark on a fifth course of Clomiphene Citrate. An earlier pregnancy seven months previously, also initiated with a course of Clomiphene Citrate, had ended with a miscarriage after nine weeks. Both Heather and Mark began a course of acupuncture. Four weeks later Heather conceived. The pregnancy went smoothly to term. She wrote as follows:
“Dear Feng,
Apologies for not getting in touch sooner, but I am delighted to inform you that I gave birth to a lovely baby boy 3 months ago. He is absolutely amazing and has been keeping me very busy for the last 12 weeks, hence the delay in me e-mailing you.
Thank you so much for all your help – your course of acupuncture worked wonders.”
Comment: Acupuncture does not interfere with standard conventional treatments, but complements them.
Severe period pains (primary dysmenorrhoea)
Over the course of the past ten years, many patients have sought help for acute primary period pains, often described as being similar to labour pains. Emergency visits to hospital are of little value, and often the condition leads to days being missed at work. To date, all patients treated with acupuncture have had to condition brought under control. Treatment lasts for two or three months on a weekly basis, and involves a mix of acupuncture and Chinese medicines.
Women with a combination of fertility problems and severe period pains benefit greatly from acupuncture, which also enhances chances of conception.
Polycystic Ovary
Research has demonstrated that both acupuncture and electrical acupuncture are helpful in the treat of polycystic ovary.
Case study: From scans and blood tests a 25 year old student was diagnosed with polycystic ovary.. Her periods had ceased for twelve months prior to her first consultation. Following three months of acupuncture and herbal infusions, a fresh scan revealed only a small cyst on one side of the ovary, with none on the other. Her periods had recommenced. Ten months later menstruation was still normal. The scans were carried out at the Lister Hospital.
Uterine fibroids
Clinical reports from China on the use of acupuncture for the treatment of uterine fibroids have been encouraging. From two studies (n=346 and n=135,) an overall effective rate of 95% has been reported. Our own experience suggests that fibroids of less than one centimetre can disappear entirely. Fast growing fibroids up to about 2.5 cms will stop growing after three months of acupuncture. Where surgery is needed, its combination with acupuncture is believed to yield a better prognosis than surgery alone.