Collaborative Care

Acupuncture, Health and Wellness

For Fertility, Pregnancy and Beyond

Acupuncture provides pregnancy support for same-sex couples

pregnancy support for same-sex couples

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Collaborative Care is proud to offer pregnancy support for same-sex couples who want to achieve pregnancy through In vitro fertilization (IVF) or Intrauterine insemination (IUI). While we have always provided our services to patients regardless of sexual orientation, it is all the more relevant after last month’s groundbreaking Supreme Court Ruling allowing same-sex marriage throughout the United States .

Why would same-sex couples want pregnancy support in addition to IVF or IUI?

Female couples who want to achieve pregnancy commonly do so using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)–specifically IVF and IUI. The success rate for ARTs as a whole–whether for same-sex or heterosexual couples or single women–varies depending on a range of factors, but averages well below 50%. (See the CDC’s Assisted Reproductive Technologies latest report from 2012 for detailed stats.) Undergoing IVF or IUI can also be a very stressful time. We work with patients to prepare their bodies for IUI or IVF, as well as supporting their bodies throughout the sometimes long and stressful process.

How does Collaborative Care provide pregnancy support for same-sex couples?

Our treatment protocol includes a combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and diet consultation to increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy through IVF or IUI. Our protocol works in many ways to help increase chances of a successful implantation, pregnancy and childbirth, including regulating fertility hormones, increasing blood flow to reproductive organs, and more.

Most clinical trials to date suggest that acupuncture may be useful in the embryo transfer stage of in vitro fertilization, and results in an increased pregnancy rate and a greater number of live births (Cheong 2008, Manheimer 2008, Kong 2009, Chen 2009, Smith 2006, Westergaard 2006), according to the British Acupuncture Council.

Collaborative Care’s success rates are even more compelling. Between 2009 and 2012, we performed a pilot study to evaluate the influence of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Eastern nutrition on the success rate of pregnancy among our patients, who included women with a history of infertility and repeat miscarriages. Forty-one of the 43 women in the study became pregnant, in almost all cases within six months of the commencement of treatment. This makes a strong case for the efficacy of Collaborative Care’s protocol in assisting women achieve pregnancy, whether it be single women or lesbian or heterosexual couples using IVF or IUI, or couples pursuing natural pregnancies without any ART.

About Sarah Abu Absi