Stress Reduction Program
At the Duke Fertility Center, we recognize how stressful it can be to pursue fertility treatment. Treatment can be physically demanding, expensive, time-consuming, confusing, and emotionally draining.
As a result, we’ve broadened our perspective to consider your needs as a whole person. To address those needs, we have developed a comprehensive Stress Reduction Program that includes acupuncture, psychological support, yoga, nutritional counseling, massage, and an aerobic walking group. You’ll see details about the first phase of services below.
Acupuncture
Are you feeling stressed by your fertility problem or its treatment? Are you interested in reducing stress
and enhancing your natural relaxation response? Are you curious about alternative or complementary medicine treatment for infertility? If so, the Duke Fertility Center is pleased to offer an in-house acupuncture program for patients considering or undergoing fertility treatment.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that has been used to treat fertility issues for over 3000 years. Its basic principles rely on restoring physical and emotional balance.
Tiny needles approximately the width of a cat’s whisker are inserted painlessly into the body at specific anatomical locations. The sensations patients describe range from nothing at all to a dull ache to slight tingling in the area. After about 30 minutes of deep relaxation, during which many people doze off, the needles are removed. All needles are individually packaged, sterile, and disposed of after a single use.
Acupuncture for fertility patients is typically offered in two ways. First, you can engage in 8 to 10 acupuncture appointments prior to a treatment cycle to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the experience. Second, you can elect to undergo acupuncture immediately before and after an embryo transfer. Many people choose to combine these two approaches for maximum effect.
Who Is a Candidate for Acupuncture?
Any patient — male or female — who is considering, preparing for, or undergoing fertility treatment can engage in acupuncture. We are offering two types of acupuncture services, which many patients choose to combine for maximum effect:
- Option A: A series of 6 treatments in the weeks leading up to and during an IUI or IVF cycle.
- Option B: Treatment the day of embryo transfer or insemination plus 1 additional treatment in the luteal phase (3-7 days after embryo transfer or insemination).
Will Acupuncture Increase My Chances of Getting Pregnant?
We just don’t know yet. Several published studies have suggested that there may be a relationship between acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer and pregnancy rates. However, the methodology used in these studies has weaknesses that cloud the results and other published studies have found no relationship between acupuncture and pregnancy rates.
There is also a possible link between acupuncture and semen parameters. The Duke Fertility Center is making plans to research potential relationships between acupuncture and fertility treatments. In the meantime, acupuncture has been linked reliably to reduced post-surgical pain, nausea, and vomiting as well as increased well-being and mood. We believe that regardless of whether acupuncture specifically improves your pregnancy outcomes, it is likely to improve how you feel and cope while going through fertility treatment.
Details
There is currently no insurance coverage for acupuncture in North Carolina; acupuncture treatments cost $105 per session.
To schedule an appointment, contact the Duke Fertility Center Acupuncture Program at dukefertilityacu@gmail.com or by phone at (919) 572-7921.
