There is mounting evidence right now that acupuncture seriously helps to raise success rates for IVF. Don’t believe it? Maybe you need to hear some IVF success stories from people who used acupuncture during their journeys with infertility. Here are just a few stories to inspire you. Susanne’s story of victory with IVF and complementary treatmentSusanne and her husband Rob already had one child, but they were ready to try for another when their son was in kindergarten. Getting pregnant with their first child had been relatively easy, but this time, the couple couldn’t seem to make it work. They sought the help of a fertility specialist, who put Susanne on Clomid, which didn’t work, either. Then, they tried three rounds of IUI, which also failed. After some serious deliberation, the couple decided to sign up for a package deal of three rounds of IVF. During the first round, Susanne’s estrogen levels didn’t rise like they should have, and the doctors were unable to harvest many viable eggs. Needless to say, the procedure was unsuccessful. Before the second round of IVF, Susanne did some research and decided to try acupuncture. After two months of therapy, she tried a fresh cycle IVF again. This time, Susanne’s estrogen levels skyrocketed, and the doctors harvested twenty healthy eggs, from which they got ten very healthy embryos. The embryos were, in fact, so healthy that the doctor refused to implant more than two, which was a good thing because Susanne soon became pregnant with twins! Elen’s journey with acupuncture and in vitro fertilization successFor years, Elen had been interested in alternative medicine techniques, and she always thought that they would be enough to deal with any problems that came up during her life. Unfortunately, when she started trying to get pregnant, none of the dieting or herbal supplements seemed to work on their own. After eighteen months of trying, she decided to turn to traditional medicine. When she saw a doctor about her infertility, Elen found that she had mild endometriosis and wasn’t ovulating regularly. At this point, she was already thirty-five, and the doctor suggested she move right on to ART because her clock was, so to speak, ticking. So, she tried medicated IUI first, which was unsuccessful, and then she moved on to IVF. Before trying IVF, though, she decided to take two months off to try regular acupuncture therapy with a local therapist. Over those two months, she began ovulating on her own, to her doctor’s amazement. Even so, Elen decided to press on with IVF, since her insurance would pay for it and it would up her odds of pregnancy. The whole process of her first round of IVF went smoothly, and she harvested plenty of healthy eggs. After her long two week wait, Elen was ecstatic to find that her first round of IVF had worked! Several weeks later, she found out that she was going to have a healthy baby girl. Brandi’s Second ShotBrandi and her husband Jay had struggled with infertility for nine years. The couple had gone through multiple therapies and treatments, and they had even done three rounds of IVF. When things became utterly exhausting, Brandi stopped all the treatments, sought counseling for herself and her marriage, and started doing some research about complementary therapies online. She landed on several that looked promising. She started doing yoga and seeing a naturopath about elevating her health with herbal supplements. Brandi also looked at several articles and studies about acupuncture and decided to try it. After seeking out an acupuncturist in her area, she started treatments, and decided to wait three months before trying another ART treatment. After those three months, Brandi felt healthier than ever, and she and Jay decided to try two more rounds of IVF, which was all they could afford. The first round went really well, with Brandi’s response to the hormones surprisingly spectacular. The doctors harvested several healthy eggs, most of which fertilized. They decided to implant just two, and Brandi found out later that she was pregnant with a singleton!

About the Author

Diana Farrell is the author of the trademarked Full Embrace series of books on overcoming infertility that have helped many couples get pregnant. If you would like to read additional inspiring IVF success stories visit http://www.IVFSuccessProgram.com for tips to help you have a successful IVF.

For all of its fame and glory, however, in vitro fertilization is not a sure thing. Most couples know this going in. Certain factors may increase or decrease a couple’s chances of success, such as the age of the woman and the overall health of both partners. According to some reports, the success of in vitro fertilization using fresh non-donor eggs is around 39%, although reports vary. Some indicate the overall success rates of in vitro fertilization to be much lower, while others show success rates much higher.

There are certain things that couples may do to increase their chances of success, such as turning to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for men with poor sperm quality. This procedure involves the direct injection of a single sperm into a mature egg to form an embryo. This has helped many men with poor sperm quality achieve success near the same level of success enjoyed by men with a healthy semen analysis during in vitro fertilization.

What worries many couples is the price of in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments. Success on the first attempt is not guaranteed, and fertility clinics do not offer refunds for failed cycles. That leaves many couples hoping for success on their first attempt. Freezing embryos is an option that some couples take advantage of to save money on subsequent cycles, although using frozen embryos has been reported to decrease the chances of success.

There are, however, plenty of first attempt success stories out there that give hope to many couples. It is important not to expect success with any fertility treatment, but hope cannot hurt one’s chances. Internet forums, counseling groups and other resources available through fertility clinics may offer many encouraging stories of women who have had success on their first in vitro fertilization cycle.

Couples exploring in vitro fertilization may also find it helpful to explore alternative treatments designed to reduce stress and improve reproductive health, as stress can have a largely negative impact on a couple’s ability to conceive. Many recommend yoga, acupuncture and fertility massage months before undergoing treatment.