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Bay IVF Experts Launch One of First East-West Fertility Programs of Its Kind

Thursday, September 13, 2007 General News
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SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 12 This month the ReproductiveScience Center of the Bay Area, one of nation's oldest IVF practices, launches"Fertile Awakenings," one of the first programs to provide coordinated care bya team of traditional western fertility specialists and complementary andalternative medical practitioners.
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Though the medical community is divided about complementary andalternative medical approaches to infertility, many patients have been usingthem successfully. However, it is rare for their care to be coordinatedbetween all medical providers.
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The program includes a panel of RSC physicians and the Fertile Awakeningsteam of alternative practitioners, who will review infertility treatment forpatients on a case-by-case basis. When appropriate, they will recommendcomplementary treatment to be offered at RSC clinics as well as otherlocations, such as acupuncture at RSC's Orinda clinic, mindfulness trainingand stress reduction courses at RSC's San Ramon location, confidential phonecoaching, and uterine massage and nutritional counseling at HarmonyAcupuncture.

"It is becoming more common for infertility practices to offer amultidisciplinary approach, integrating western and eastern medicine, alongwith a Mind/Body program. There is some evidence that this combined approachmay improve success for some couples," said Louis Weckstein, M.D., IVF andMedical Director of RSC.

"A collaborative program that addresses the stress as well as the medicalaspects of infertility care raises the bar for fertility care," saidWeckstein. "Helping to manage the brutal stress and emotional rollercoaster ofinfertility can go a long way in supporting medical treatment forinfertility," he added.

More patients like Lidia Gutierrez, a 39-year-old San Ramon engineeringconsultant who is completely healthy but having difficulty getting pregnant,are using acupuncture while undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). "WhenDr. Weckstein showed me the research on superior pregnancy rates for patientswho used both methods, my husband and I agreed it was the best way toproceed," she said. Gutierrez began acupuncture treatments in June inpreparation for her first IVF cycle in August. Some studies show acupunctureincreases the success of embryo implantation as well as improves relaxationand reduces stress.

Most fertility experts agree that reducing stress is key for many of theirpatients. Stress signals the pituitary gland that the body is in trouble,which can slow the release of the luteinizing hormone, which in turn triggersovulation. Even if ovulation occurs, a shortage of the luteinizing hormonecould mean a lower level of progesterone, a hormone necessary to nourish andsustain an embryo's implantation.

Infertility patients who have endured many months or years of frustrationmay have low emotional reserves and benefit from the emotional support of aprofessional coach. Research showed that couples who participated in groupcounseling sessions were more likely to get pregnant than couples who did not.The Fertile Awakenings coaching program also helps patients navigate thestress of decision-making regarding complex treatment options, such asdetermining which assisted reproductive techniques are appropriate, when toconsider use of a donated egg or sperm, a gestational carrier, or ceasetreatment and consider other choices.

Separate German and Chinese studies of 160 women combined who usedassisted reproductive techniques, as reported in the April 2002 issue ofFertility and Sterility, found that 42.5 percent who included acupuncture withtheir treatment achieved pregnancy compared to 26.3 percent who did not useacupuncture. Other studies have shown that sperm quality benefits fromacupuncture treatment as well.

About Reproductive Science Center

Established in 1983, the Reproductive Science Center of the San FranciscoBay Area
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