IVF and alternative medicine - does acupuncture and ayurveda help to improve IVF success rates ?

Patients often ask me whether they should use alternative therapies such as acupuncture,  ayurveda or homeopathy during their IVF treatment .

I have an open mind and am not dogmatic .

I don't feel that Western medicine has all the answers , and am perfectly willing to be flexible.

If patients believe that a certain form of therapy helps them , I encourage them to explore it.

Many of these treatments are not scientifically proven , and therefore I consider them to be empirical therapy - is therapy based on clinical experience .

This is perfectly valid – not all treatment needs to undergo clinical trials , and not all treatment needs to be written about in textbooks for it to be effective .

I do tell them I am not an expert on any of the alternative forms of therapy , and they need to find an expert in that field if they want to explore the option.

If empirical therapy is inexpensive without any side-effects or risks, it makes sense for them to explore it with an open mind.

The reality is none of us has all the answers , and it's not as if modern medicine has a monopoly on medical knowledge.

If doing alternative therapy gives you peace of mind , you should explore it – you have little to lose, especially when it is used to complement IVF treatment