For many women who are trying to conceive, one of the most frustrating parts of the fertility process can be not responding well enough to the medications that the treatment can move forward. Any women who has ever found herself in this situation knows just how discouraged it can make her feel. I’ve been preparing to take the ABORM exam, which has led me to do a lot of research around the use of electroacupuncture and how it can help women undergoing fertility treatment who are not responding optimally to the medications. The following is a recent case study.
A 29-year old woman had gone through several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) trying to get pregnant. She had previously been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In addition, she had one blocked fallopian tube. She was given a combination of two medications to help her follicles grow and then to ovulate. She received ultrasounds to monitor the progress, but as she approached the middle of her cycle, her doctor observed that although the follicles were growing on the side with the open tube, they were not fully mature. The doctor gave her 24 hours and sent her here for acupuncture, but warned her that the cycle may be canceled. I gave her electroacupuncture for 30 minutes at two specific points. When she went in for an ultrasound the next day, the doctor was astonished to see that the immature follicles had fully grown in under 24 hours. Her cycle went ahead as planned.
An NIH study on rats receiving ovarian stimulation concluded that decreased amounts of a specific enzyme caused the rats’ eggs to fail to fully mature. Performing electroacupuncture at specific points and specific frequencies increases the amount of this enzyme within the body, helping the eggs to fully mature. Practitioners using this technique on their human patients have had similarly positive results.
I have repeated this technique with other patients who were being monitored while undergoing medicated cycles with timed intercourse as well as IVF with equally successful results. If you or someone you know is trying to get pregnant but are not getting the best results with medication alone, give us a call, because we can help.
[written by Molly]