Acupuncture Help with Implantation of Embryo

Traditional five element acupuncture can help you and your body improve the chances of good endometrium for successful implantation of your embryo either with IVF or when looking to conceive naturally.

The implantation of an embryo in the uterus is a crucial early step in establishing a successful pregnancy.

Here we are talking about the first few steps of life ………

This is a hatching blastocyst, ready to find its implantation site and begin life in its new home for the next 9 months.

Steps you can take now to help create an ideal lining …….

Regulate your menstrual cycle

Acupuncture regulates the menstrual cycle

In traditional acupuncture texts (dating back many hundreds of years) applying treatment to improve ovary function acupuncture can regulate the cycle. What this refers to is the ideal of a 28 day menstrual cycle (give or take a few days), and a regular ovulation occurring around the middle of that cycle. This is one of the first aims of much acupucture  treatment of gynaecological disorders. A regular menstrual cycle is an indication of good ovary function and good hormone balance.

Acupuncturists  knew way back in the Qing Dynasty, that if their treatments encouraged a regular and problem free menstrual cycle, then fertility would be improved. We know now that this means that the ovaries are producing the right balance of oestrogen and progesterone, which helps the uterine lining to develop well and the uterine environment to be ideal for implantation.

Improve blood flow to the uterus.

 Acupuncture improves blood flow

Acupuncture has been shown to improve the blood flow to the uterus. One study showed that it also significantly improved the appearance of the lining) and the rate of embryo implantation, and pregnancy..

Regulate your immune system

Acupuncture regulates the immune system

We know that stress can affect the immune system, elevating levels of activated T cells in the uterine lining, reducing implantation rates of embryos. We also know that high resting levels of cortisol are linked with elevated markers of inflammatory processes in the body which may adversely affect implantation of the embryo.

Fortunately acupuncture has been shown to exert a beneficial modulatory effect on immune imbalances caused by anxiety and stress. In one study the maximum effect on the immune system of women suffering heightened anxiety was measured 72 hours after they received acupuncture and the effects of a course of acupuncture were still evident a month after it was completed.

What else can YOU do?

Check for any structural impediments inside the uterus.

 If necessary ask your reproductive specialist to arrange for investigation and  the removal of polyps or fibroids affecting the lining or other internal structural impediments.

In the case of endometriosis in the uterus wall that can affect implantation, acupuncture may be useful. It may take several months to improve the symptoms.

Improve your diet

You’ve heard it all before, I’m sure…..but did you realise that what you eat actually directly influences the environment of the uterine lining and implantation. You need emphasise fresh vegetables and fruits, with good quality protein especially from vegetable and fish sources, rather than too much meat.

You may have heard about how important the diet of the mother is to the development of the embryo, and then the growing foetus in the early days of pregnancy. Maternal diet at this time can have a big influence on the risk of development of chronic diseases later in the baby’s adult life. Diet can change the pre-implantation environment of the uterus and hence affect the newly arrived embryo – specifically diet has been shown to change the amino acid balance. We know that amino acids play a number of physiological roles in pre-implantation development – they can be an energy source for the blastocyst, or building blocks for new proteins or DNA, or act as antioxidants or cell signalling messengers. In the IVF incubators, amino acids are important components of the medium embryos grow in.

Women who have diets that are based primarily on fresh vegetables and fruit with some fish, have what may be a more favourable amino acid profile in the uterus than women who eat a lot of red meat and dairy. The uterine amino acid profiles of the women who eat more fresh foods and less red meat show a low amino acid environment – and it is thought that this may selectively support the development and implantation of high quality embryos. For more information – https://www.southwellacupuncture.co.uk/blog/2018/11/25/diet-and-lifestyle-for-pregnancy/

Check for any structural impediments inside the uterus.

 If necessary ask your reproductive specialist to arrange for investigation and  the removal of polyps or fibroids affecting the lining or other internal structural impediments.

In the case of endometriosis in the uterus wall that can affect implantation, acupuncture may be useful. It may take several months to improve the symptoms.

For help and support before, during pregnancy contact Hannah on :- https://www.southwellacupuncture.co.uk/contact/