How Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Acupuncture, and Naturopathic Medicine Can Help You Properly Prepare for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Welcome to Yinstill Reproductive Wellness, BC’s number one resource for providing natural evidence-based treatment solutions for women and couples experiencing reproductive health challenges. Proudly serving Vancouver & Delta.
Choosing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a big step. Deciding to put your faith (and money) into assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF should be done with eyes wide open. Although success rates get better with each passing year, in no way does this treatment guarantee you the child of your dreams. You must do all you can to best prepare yourself and your body before stepping into IVF. Be ready on all levels; become one with your body mind and spirit. If you haven’t already done so, stop seeing conception or your body as something that needs to be accomplished or conquered. Have faith that your body knows how, and that your baby will come. Be as loving to yourself as you would be to your child. This may be difficult, but it is an appropriately tailored assignment when planning for IVF success.
Today, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is re-inventing the way people get pregnant. Acupuncture is now commonly administered in conjunction with IVF cycles due to its significant effectiveness in improving pregnancy rates and helping women relax throughout the process. Yinstill offers important support, treatment, and resources for women and couples struggling to get pregnant and planning on or currently going through an IVF cycle (including on site embryo transfer day acupuncture at the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Burnaby, Genesis Fertility Centre and Grace Fertility Centre in Vancouver). What makes Yinstill unique is our many years of integration with IVF clinics in Vancouver & Kelowna; the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), Genesis Fertility Centre, & Grace Fertility Centre. These relationships have served to deepen our understanding of what the women and couples are going through, and how to better support them on their journey.
OUR 10 STEP PROCESS...
We will walk you through 10 easy-to-implement steps that will help you prepare for your upcoming IVF so you can properly manage the emotional stress and optimize your chances of getting pregnant. Together these 10 Steps comprise a holistic system for ensuring you are tending to all aspects of your health that affect your fertility…
Get clear and set the unique health related goals that are necessary to best optimize your reproductive potential
Implement natural treatments such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, micronutrient injection therapy), and Naturopathic medicine (nutritional counselling, lab testing, intravenous IV therapy)
Teach you how to properly pay attention to the signals and feedback your body is giving you
Counsel on how to use food as medicine
Recommend which supplements are right for you
Discuss specifically how you should be exercising
Determine how to nurture your spirit and look deep inside to get the whole picture
Reveal which toxins are around you that may be affecting your fertility
Shed light on what the man can do
Explain how assisted reproductive technologies such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) can help and when they are appropriate for your circumstance
Imagine yourself going through an IVF cycle feeling healthy and prepared, and your emotional stress being well managed. Please understand that this is completely possible when you choose to take the steps outlined in this program. A future with you holding your baby is much more likely if you do so.
WE ARE THE EXPERTS...
The specialized care and treatment you will receive at Yinstill is the cumulative result of
- 25+ years of collective clinical experience.
- Extensive specialized training in natural evidence-based treatment of reproductive health issues.
- Development of fully integrated complementary health care services with local IVF clinics.
- Close relationships with experts and world leaders in the field of reproductive medicine.
Each and every day at our clinic is spent connecting with and helping people just like you. These relationships have provided us with a very intimate understanding of how to best support women and couples trying to get pregnant with the assistance of IVF. The expertise acquired as a result has enabled us to be an integral part of bringing thousands of babies into this world.
BENEFITS...
When you choose to become a client of Yinstill and commit to our recommendations to help you prepare for your upcoming IVF you can expect to experience the following benefits;
- Optimized Chances of Getting Pregnant. The safety and fertility enhancing effects of the recommendations within BFP+ are well established through both clinical observation and scientific research.
- Improved Health and Well-being. Your health before and during pregnancy is key to optimizing fertility and carrying to term, and also has a drastic impact on the health your child will experience throughout their lifetime.
- Reduced Emotional Stress. The recommendations and treatments in BFP+ will help you enjoy the experience of IVF. The process of conceiving your child will be one of hope and gratitude instead of worry and fear.
EVIDENCE...
Current medical evidence shows that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, supplements, diet, and lifestyle choices can increase chances of getting pregnant with IVF primarily via the following mechanisms;
- promote hormonal balance necessary for conception and a healthy pregnancy.
- improve blood flow (nutrition, oxygen, IVF medications) to the eggs, uterus, and developing embryo.
- regulate immune function to reduce implantation failure and early pregnancy loss
- reduce emotional stress
Acupuncture is a simple painless medical procedure that involves using small needles to stimulate specific points on the body. Peer-reviewed research on Acupuncture and Infertility confirms that potential physiological mechanisms have been postulated for its positive effects:
Visit our research section to find supporting evidence regarding;
- Embryo transfer day acupuncture increases IVF pregnancy and live birth rate
- Acupuncture may mediate menstrual cycles, ovulation and fertility.
- Acupuncture may reduce the biological stress response
- Acupuncture may beneficially influence cortisol and prolactin levels during IVF
- Acupuncture may stimulate blood flow to the uterus and ovaries
(*Our own clinical research on the stress reducing effects of acupuncture when administered in the weeks leading up to an IVF embryo transfer is published in Fertility & Sterility)
WHAT TO EXPECT...
- Your initial 1 hour appointment with one of our fertility specialists consists of an in-depth evaluation into the underlying factors that are contributing to your infertility.
- From there, using our 10 Step process, we create a individualized treatment plan to naturally optimize your chances of getting pregnant.
- Finally, with consistent ongoing treatment, we are there for you throughout your journey, offering the support required with each step.
Acupuncture Support for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): There are 4 recommended treatment protocols;
- On Site Embryo Transfer Day Acupuncture at PCRM, Genesis. & Grace fertility. On the day of your embryo transfer, acupuncture is administered 1 hour before your transfer is scheduled, and again immediately after. This treatment induces deep relaxation and stress relief. According to a recent Meta-analysis in the British Medical Journal, embryo transfer day acupuncture significantly improves pregnancy and live birth rates. Click here to read more about the acupuncture points used in these treatments.
- IVF Preparation. Acupuncture treatments twice per week for 2-6 weeks leading up to embryo transfer – increases ovarian response to IVF medications, increases blood flow to the uterine lining and developing follicles, relieves the effects of stress and anxiety, and increases clinical pregnancy and live birth rates.
- Pre-Conception Natural Female and Male Fertility Enhancement. The importance of overall health and well-being in the months before IVF cannot be over-stated. Nurturing your ‘whole’ self can help ensure that your body is optimized for IVF success. Evidence and experience also show that acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine can improve sperm parameters (for natural fertility or IVF support), decrease stress, increase libido, and aid with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Within just a few short weeks, you should notice significant changes in many of your health related goals, and overall sense of well-being. These are the signs that your body is becoming optimized for conception.
- Acupuncture Care Throughout Pregnancy. Acupuncture treatments once per week throughout the first trimester of pregnancy – reduces the incidence of miscarriage, provides emotional support and calms the mother-to-be, increases blood flow to fetus, and relieves nausea and vomiting. Acupuncture also helps with a multitude of other conditions during pregnancy, and can aid with labour and delivery.
We are excited to meet you soon to help you reach your dream of creating the happy healthy family you deserve
Risk Free Initial Appointment We want you to feel like Yinstill is the right fit for your reproductive healthcare needs. If you are not completely satisfied with your initial appointment and do not plan to continue treatment at Yinstill, you are under no obligation to pay the appointment fee (see full policy details).
