Acupuncture for IVF patients in Mumbai, India

Acupuncture is still not very popular or easily available in Mumbai. We invited Dr Jasmine Modi, our consultant acupuncturist, to educate patients about acupuncture.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has improved greatly in recent years, and increasing numbers of couples have benefited from the scientific advances. At the same time, more and more people are turning to Acupuncture, either alone or in conjunction with their Western treatments to improve their chances of conceiving and delivering healthy children.

Acupuncture consists of gentle insertion and stimulation of thin disposable sterile needles at strategic points near the surface of the body. Over 2000 acupuncture points on the human body connect with 14 major pathways called meridians. This meridians conduct qi or energy between the surface of the body and internal organs. It is the qi that regulates spiritual, emotional and physical balance. When the flow of qi is disrupted through poor health habits or other circumstances, pain and/or disease can result. Acupuncture helps to keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked, thereby increasing a couples chance to conceive. Acupuncture is holistic, seeing the interconnectedness of all the body's systems. When healthy and balanced, you are more likely to get pregnant and produce a healthy child. The goal of acupuncture is to return your body to a state of health. The effects are cumulative; they take time; the results get better and better.

  
THE TREATMENT PROTOCOL

If you plan to combine Acupuncture with infertility treatment, the treatment begins 3 months before fertility procedures commence and continues throughout your treatment. Ideally, patients come twice a week.  While this is ideal, many people come in just prior to starting IVF, or during an IVF cycle, and they have still had improvement.

If a woman is undergoing IVF, woman should get treated on the day of the transfer, before and after, or as close as possible. Women are also encouraged to continue with treatment after a positive pregnancy test once a week for the first trimester to help prevent miscarriage. Women who have more difficulty getting pregnant have a slightly higher rate of miscarriage.

Procedures other than acupuncture that might be included are: cupping; electric stimulation; and moxibustion. Herbs are also a very useful and an important component of Acupuncture. Acupuncture points and protocols vary from patient to patient because each person has different needs. For example, with a woman suffering from endometriosis, we would focus on moving the blood, whereas with a woman who is not ovulating, we would concentrate on nourishing the blood. Treatment is completely designed for you as an individual, depending on the factors noted above, your health and your goals.

“The goal of an infertility treatment from acupuncture perspective is not just to get pregnant but to stay pregnant and to have a healthy baby."



Dr Jasmine Modi.
(Acupuncturist).
9819350976.
www.jasminemodi.com