Fertility / Sterility Preparation and Treatments: 

054-317-8448

East West Herzliya Center, Dr Zisman, L.Ac and its experienced licensed  practitioners apply the theories of Chinese Medicine and Holistic Medicine that have been used for thousands of years to promote conception, pregnancy, and assist in labor. At East West Center, our believe and intention is in supporting you to move forward feeling healthy, encouraged, empowered, nourished and nurtured while assisting you create breakthroughs on your new life journey.

Since timing is crucial, our acupuncture staff at East West Herzliya is “on call” for the before and after embryo transfer which significantly improves the reproductive outcome of IVF implantation procedure.

Prepare for 90 days (3 months) –  This is the preparation time encouraging the soil of the womb to be healthy, clean and happy to receive your embryo, therefore we prepare for 90 days with fertility acupuncture, diet, herbs, supplements, cleanses, massages, mind body spirit work, and relaxation, prior to your IVF cycle  which is  takes around 6 weeks from the time you begin medications and ultrasounds to the transfer of the embryo(s). NOTE: Since we don’t want to interfere with the medications you will need to stop taking the herbs, most supplements, cleanses and stomach massages once you start your IVF medications and cycle. IVF is a profound procedure that is a blessing to have available as an option.
The reason for the preparation time is the cycle of the egg (ovum) is 90 days, the period of time during the egg’s journey when what you eat, drink, ingest, breathe, your stress levels, and the health of your blood flow will all have an effect on the health of that egg. So what you eat today is impacting the egg you will ovulate or have “harvested” three months from now. .

1.  Acupuncture in preparation and embryo transfer

Acupuncture treatments should be administered for best results            

When under 35 years of age , once a week.                                                                                                  When over 35 years of age 2 times a week  

Acupuncture benefits:                                                                         

Increases blood flow to the uterus to promote implantation.       Reduces stress hormones and anxiety.                                               Reduces side effects of drugs used in ART procedures.             Strengthens the immune system and supports their general health, helping to prevent miscarriage           Improves ovarian function, may help produce better quality eggs and larger number of follicles.         Decreases uterine contractions, intended to encourage implantation, and prevent early miscarriage             Higher implantation success rate on day of the embryo transfer (immediately before and after transfer) Lower rates of ectopic pregnancies                                                                                                                     Improves sperm counts and motility (sperm swim rate and strength) with the assistance of herbs     Increases the number of normal sperm and fewer structural defects in sperm

Best results when you receive treatments for 3 months prior to implantation, if time is pressing then we work with the given time frame. The treatment plan is determined by an extensive intake utilizing pulse, tongue, abdominal and auricular diagnostic systems.

First and Last Trimesters of pregnancy: Acupuncture should be given 1 to 2 times a week depending on medical history and pregnancy flow. To reduce chances of miscarriage and reduce breech baby or delayed labor chances.

2. Prepare through cleansing and increase circulation with massage.

Cleansing consists of supporting the liver’s blood to cleanse as well as support uterine health, circulation, and hormonal health that encourages a healthy body, uterine environment and sperm vitality. Massage to reduce stress, increase circulation,bring fresh oxygenated blood especially to the reproductive system, supporting hormone balance, promoting egg health and establish a healthy ovarian-uterine environment.                                                                                                                           Cleansing and massage should only be done before beginning your IVF medications, not during. Discontinue massage because you most likely will be very sensitive in the ovarian area as your follicles/eggs mature and ovaries become larger. Also, do not do massage after transfer of the embryos or during pregnancy. 

• 3. Healthy Meal Plan with Nutrition and Nutrients

  Healthy Meal Plan nutrition provides antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which help to protect egg and sperm health from damage caused by free-radicals.         Supports the body towards normal hormonal balance by providing the fats needed for hormone production and function.                                                                                   Provides the body with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients needed for optimal health                                                                           Herbs, Nutrients and Supplements for a healthy body and for pregnancy                                       Multivitamin, antioxidants, EFA & superfoods to help support egg and sperm health and body which helps to provide important nutrients for early pregnancy.To improve fertility and the likelihood of conception we combined with Chinese herbs; the addition of herbs with acupuncture treatments becomes an even more powerful combination. In Chinese medicine, the practitioner evaluates the patient always combines herbs to meet each patients specific needs.There are many combinations of Chinese herbs that have been used to improve fertility and virility in both males and female for centuries.

4. Stress support system with a breakthrough mind/body program.

Therapies are specific for helping you emotionally before, during and after IVF medications and procedures. During the 90 day preparation, egg harvesting, embryo transfer and the two week wait. It also helps you breakthrough to let go of limiting beliefs, leaving you feeling more relaxed and in control of life.

Studies Backing Up Success Rate of Acupuncture for Pregnancy

In 2002, a team of German researchers discovered that acupuncture significantly increased pregnancy rate among a group of 80 women who were undergoing IVF treatment. the 80 women who underwent IVF and received acupuncture, 34 women got pregnant, a success rate of 42.5%. Of the 80 women involved in the study who received IVF without any acupuncture treatments, only 21 women (26.3%) became pregnant. More recently, an American study involving 114 women showed that 51% of the women who had acupuncture and IVF treatments became pregnant versus only 36% of the women who had IVF alone. Deeper analysis of this study revealed that, while 8% of the women in the acupuncture group miscarried, the rate of miscarriage in the IVF-only group was 20%. Furthermore, women who received acupuncture also had lower rates of ectopic pregnancies.

The researchers speculated that acupuncture helped increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, leading to speculation about increased egg follicles and elevated hormone levels around the ovaries, as well as, strengthening and relaxing  the lining of the uterus giving the embryos a better chance of implanting to maintain a pregnancy – a problem associated with miscarriage. 

Other research does suggest that acupuncture is effective in reducing stress. Since stress has been shown to interfere with getting pregnant, it makes sense that reducing your stress through acupuncture could theoretically improve your odds of conceiving. Some women find acupuncture helpful to cope with the stress they feel about trying to conceive.

To increase your chances even more, make sure to seek out your acupuncturist well before your procedure so they are “on call” for after the procedure, timing is crucial for this one.

Increasing Male Fertility With Acupuncture

Acupuncture may also help male infertility. A few studies have shown that regular treatments significantly improve sperm counts and motility (the strength with which the sperm swim).

To be truly effective, though, acupuncture treatment would need to increase a man’s sperm count over the threshold needed for conception — a minimum of 10 to 12 million moving sperm per ejaculate. And the men in these studies didn’t get up to those levels. (Therefore the supplementation of herbs, nutrients, nutrition and lifestyle changes would be needed to support the male sperm count  to reach the minimum needed for conception).

However, new research shows that acupuncture can significantly improve the quality and health of sperm. In a study published in Fertility and Sterility in 2005, researchers analyzed sperm samples from men with infertility of unknown cause before and after acupuncture treatments. They found that acupuncture was associated with fewer structural defects in sperm and an increase in the number of normal sperm.