Hi, I’m Dr. Ann, I am a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and I specialize in the treatment of Infertility.
Many women who come to my clinic are experiencing infertility and are either considering IVF or are prepping for IVF. I love working with these women and helping them move closer to their dream of having (or increasing) their family.
Over time it has become clear to me that IVF is the best solution for some patients but not for all. Afterall, IVF is very taxing on the patient, the process is stressful and time consuming, and it is very expensive.
So, I decided to sort out who is a perfect IVF candidate, those for whom IVF might be a good idea, and then who might benefit most from focusing on improving overall health, and possibly getting pregnant on their own, naturally.
Who needs IVF:
- Couples who have significant male factor issues such as no or very low sperm counts or other significant sperm problems or history of vasectomy
- Those for whom a third party is needed for donated sperm, egg or uterus (surrogate)
- Tubal factor infertility
- A know genetic condition which requires screening of embryos
For whom IVF might be a good idea:
- You want multiple children and are in your mid to late 30’s. The IVF process can result in embryos that can be frozen for this and future pregnancies. This preserves embryos produced from your younger eggs
- You have unexplained infertility and do not want to waste time
- Some cases of advanced maternal age. It is possible to get pregnant in your late 30’s and early 40’s but IVF can shorten the timeline and possibly reduce the chance of miscarriage with genetic testing
- You have several things that may work against you such as less than perfect male factor which does not improve with conservative treatment and maybe you have PCOS or endometriosis which have not been holistically addressed, and which may decrease the likelihood of conception without intervention.
- Or perhaps it just seems like a good idea to take action and not wait.
Those for whom IVF is probably not necessary:
- Unexplained infertility that has not been holistically addressed such as by a doctor of Chinese Medicine. The medical doctor’s workup for fertility is limited to the reproductive system when infertility is in fact a whole-body condition
- Male factor fertility that is ok but not great. The male partner’s lifestyle could benefit from improvement especially if substances like alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, nicotine, cannabis or other drugs are involved
- Conditions like PCOS or endometriosis that have not been treated with lifestyle and conservative care
- History of one to two miscarriages
- You don’t have the budget or emotional energy to undergo expensive treatment that may not result in a baby
- If there are menstrual problems like irregular cycles, very painful periods, scanty menstrual flow, pelvic congestion, pain with intercourse. These can be addressed with Chinese Medicine
- Sexual dysfunction, difficulty with erection, ejaculation, libido
- Any health condition or symptom that is not being considered as part of a fertility workup
If you fit into this latter category, you may end up with IVF, but if you do, the time you spent improving your health may be the best investment you have ever made.
Take care,
Dr. Ann
