One of the important factors preventing success in IVF application is the excessive stress that occurs in the expectant mother and the inability to reach sufficient vascular maturity and thickness of the endometrium layer, where the fertilized egg will attach and settle after transverse.
Acupuncture contributes to the adequate maturity of this layer called the endometrium.
With the regulating effect of acupuncture on the limbic system, it increases the resilience of the expectant mother against stress and eliminates this negative effect. Thus, the chance of success of expectant mothers who receive acupuncture treatment before and after in vitro fertilization is higher than those who do not receive acupuncture treatment.
In a study conducted by Dr WE Paulus in the United States in 2002 and published in a respected medical journal called Fertility & Sterility, it has become an increasingly common practice in IVF clinics, with acupuncture treatment showing that it increases pregnancy rates in couples undergoing IVF treatment. . This development has led to the creation of many new studies. Today, acupuncture treatment is offered to patients as an option in many IVF centers in the USA.
In the May 2006 issue of Fertility&Sterility, seven studies on the use of acupuncture in IVF treatment were published. Two of these studies are particularly noteworthy in terms of their design, number of patients, results and scientific values. In both studies, it has been shown that performing acupuncture just before the embryo transfer phase in patients undergoing IVF treatment increases clinical pregnancy rates.
The first of these studies is a publication by Dr Westergaard et al. in Denmark on 273 patients and showing that acupuncture increases pregnancy rates in IVF treatment. In this publication, the clinical pregnancy rate was found to be 39% in the acupuncture group, and 24% in the control group that did not receive acupuncture. The difference was found to be statistically significant.
The second study is a joint research conducted by Dr Dieterle Stefan (University of Witten-Dotmund) from Germany and Dr Ying Gao (Huazhon University of Science & Technology,Wuhan) from China. This study was conducted in a total of 225 patients. The clinical pregnancy rate was found to be 33.9% in patients who underwent acupuncture. The pregnancy rate in the control group was 15.6%. The difference was found to be statistically significant.
With the stimulation to certain points, the secretion of a chemical substance called beta-endorphin increases in the whole body. With this increase, the release of GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) and indirectly the secretion of steroid and gonadotropin hormones produced by the body increase. In addition, after acupuncture application, the blood flow to the uterus (womb) increases, the endometrium matures, and as a result, conditions that facilitate pregnancy in the uterus are provided. Thanks to all these changes, it is thought that the implantation (adherence) rate of the transferred embryos increases.
As a result, we can say that acupuncture makes the body of the expectant mother to be applied IVF more ready for application.
