What I’ve noticed in my clinical practice is that patients who come for Acupuncture to prepare them for IVF implantation come into the clinic rushed, stressed, and anxious. After an hour in my treatment room they head off to the IVF clinic for embryo transfer feeling relaxed, confident and empowered.

There is a lot riding on a successful IVF implantation: expectations, finances, time, to name but a few. So on the day of the implantation most women I see are at their wits end with worry, and their anxiety levels are sky high.

Once they step into the treatment room, the ambience alone is enough to allow the patient to start to unwind. At my clinic we place a high priority on creating the right atmosphere for relaxation and change to occur. All of a sudden time slows down a bit, muscles relax, and the focus shifts towards the positive energy being created.

So, what roll does acupuncture itself play in this transformation?

When we are stressed and anxious the body releases the ‘flight or fight’ protein known as neuropeptide Y into our blood. This feeling created by the neuropeptide Y release will  increase your heart rate, cause dryness in the mouth, increase respiration, and tense your muscles; you will also think unclearly and allow irrational thoughts to take hold. Recent findings show that acupuncture can significantly reduce the levels of neuropeptide Y and calm the central nervous system (CNS).

So in addition to acupuncture increasing the effectiveness of IVF implantation, acupuncture is also preparing the patient emotionally for the procedure by reducing stress and creating an enhanced feeling of wellbeing – and in our experience, much better results!