Herbal Therapies 'Can Help Boost Fertility ' Experts Cite Benefits of Alternative Treatments
Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 15:00 CDT
By JULIA HORTON
ALTERNATIVE therapies such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be crucial tools for childless couples, according to fertility experts who gathered last night for an event to mark the 30th anniversary of IVF.
Debate has raged about the efficacy of alternative therapies for women undergoing infertility treatments. Only last week a study said acupuncture did not increase the pregnancy chances of women on fertility treatment.
However, the organiser of last night's Edinburgh event, and city- based fertility awareness practitioner Juliet le Page, said a lot of research had shown the benefits of complementary medicines in improving the success rate of IVF treatment.
A recent study claimed that women who were given acupuncture after implantation during IVF were 65per cent more likely to conceive than those who were not.
Ms Le Page, who specialises in helping women understand their ovulatory cycle to help spot possible causes of infertility, said: "When you look at all the IVF clinics in the UK, NHS or private, there is only one I think which employs an alternative therapist who works in conjunction with the gynaecologists and their success rate certainly seems to be better than average.
"There has been a lot of research which has shown the benefits of acupuncture in improving the success rate of IVF treatment, but is it being used widely? No. The medical profession is great and there is some fantastic advice coming out, but it is very much focused on their field [conventional medicine]. They don't look to see what else could be done to assist."
She explained the Fertility and Beyond information evening in Edinburgh was aimed at giving people experiencing problems conceiving, and health professionals with an interest in fertility, an opportunity to hear about the different therapies that were available.
Anna Salman, an Edinburgh-based acupuncture practitioner who was speaking at last night's event, said demand for acupuncture from women undergoing IVF had shot up from almost zero to roughly a third of her practice - around 10 patients a week.
Explaining how the therapy is thought to work, she said: "From a science point of view, they think it helps the blood flow to the uterus and the ovaries, and from a Chinese perspective, looking at the whole person, a lot of it is to do with emotions and tensions."
Another expert at the event was nutrition therapist Philippa Levinson, who said: "It is a lot about eating completely natural foods. The zinc balance has to be right for sperm health and for egg and hormone production in women. I see a lot of people with zinc deficiencies. People who are low in zinc are also often high in lead, which is really poor for fertility."
However, one leading fertility doctor in Scotland, advised couples to simply try to follow a generally healthy lifestyle.
Professor Richard Fleming, centre director at the Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine, said: "There are two recent collections of studies on acupuncture, one showing a benefit in terms of IVF, while the other does not. I think the answer is still out there but I imagine the beneficial effect would be modest."
The event coincided with a survey of more than 300 UK fertility patients which found nearly 80per cent would travel abroad for treatment due to high costs and long waiting lists.
Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.
(c) 2008 Herald, The; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Herald, The; Glasgow (UK)
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