Complementary therapies
Complementary therapies offer a powerful adjunct to modern fertility medical diagnosis and treatment, including IVF. At Viveka couples often combine gynaecology, including fertility investigation and ultrasound, with complementary care, with excellent results. We are proud to have a team of therapists who are highly experienced in fertility support, blend sensitivity and skill, and have been working alongside our gynaecologists and fertility doctors for many years.
Your doctor at Viveka knows the complementary therapists well and will support your choices as your fertility care progresses. Complementary care may be targetted specifically to improve ovarian function, hormone balance or sperm count, or to promote an optimal environment for implantation following fertilisation. At the same time, complementary therapy offers emotional support.
How it may work
The most common therapies used are acupuncture and homeopathy.
Acupuncture treatment may be used to stimulate sperm production and ovulation and can be used to boost progesterone output from the ovary following release of an egg.
Many scientific studies have now shown that acupuncture treatments given during IVF and ICSI improve conception and ongoing pregnancy rates (see our newsletter). At the same time, acupuncture can improve relaxation, general wellbeing and happiness.
Our fertility acupuncture specialists have been part of the team for many years.
Homeopathy, like acupuncture, has been used in conjunction with fertility treatment at Viveka for many years. We have witnessed very good results when it is used to support couples with unexplained fertility, low sperm count, recurrent infection, ovulation and menstrual irregularities and polycystic ovaries. We use it to help balance a couple's whole system so that both partners are in optimum health, and to alleviate emotional stress.
Other popular therapies include hypnotherapy, osteopathy and massage. In addition, we offer emotional support from our 'Emo' team, who have many years experience assisting people with fertility issues. It's a personal matter, and we are here to guide and support your choice.
did you know?
Acupuncture has been proven to improve the success of IVF treatment. Studies carried out in Southampton and London have shown that women receiving acupuncture at the time of embryo transfer increase the chance of successful pregnancy from 22% to 35%. This backs up results a study done in Germany in 2001, where 42.5% of women receiving acupuncture at the time of embryo transfer became pregnant, compared with only 26.3% of those who did not receive acupuncture.
