Acupuncture And Infertility – Old Science Can Cut Your Costs For IVF Treatment
Medical science has the answer for every known malady, right? Surely medical breakthroughs and the latest new technology have contributed greatly to our well-being. And IVF, foremost among the ART processes, has been the best answer for couples dealing with infertility. But ART doesn’t always work – at least not as quickly as couples hope.
Infertility has also been treated, for hundreds of years, by the Chinese science known as acupuncture. But could it be true? Can needle pokes really work against infertility? It’s nearly unexplainable and skeptics dismiss it, but acupuncture for infertility and many other medical problems has been proven effective. And it is now used widely in the US and Europe, together with ART, to treat infertility. Infertility specialists using acupuncture can be found through infertility clinics and hospitals.
How Infertility Acupuncture Works
In acupuncture, a state-licensed specialist inserts ultra-thin needles into pressure points on the body. The key to acupuncture is knowing exactly where and how to apply the needles. The needle contacts control physical body problems such as infertility. Acupuncture has been used, often combined with herbs, to treat elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and multiple miscarriages.
In many cases, acupuncture is applied in combination with IVF, interuterine insemination (IUI) and donor-egg transfers with demonstrable success. Adding acupunture for women using IVF raised pregnancy rates by 65 percent.
Acupuncture treatment must be provided at the right time to produce maximum benefit. For best results with ART, acupuncture treatment should start 90 days ahead of the first ART and continue until three month into the pregnancy.
Cost Savings Are Possible
Infertility cost is an important consideration, especially because treatment is not covered by most group medical insurance plans. Likewise, acupuncture for infertility probably will be an additional out-of-pocket expense. But it could be money well spent as a means of short-circuiting additional ART treatment cycles.
To show a simple cost / benefit analysis, take a typical couple facing costs of $10,000 per IVF cycle. And because the woman is over 35, they can expect three to five cycles will be needed. If they decide to spend $1,000 for each cycle of acupuncture, that would seem to increase their cost by 10% to $33,000 for three cycles. But acupuncture could save $8,000 net, total cost $22,000 not $30,000, if it eliminates the need for a third cycle of IVF. And if only one cycle is needed, the couple would spend $11,000 rather than the $30,000 cost projected if no acupuncture was to be used, a $19,000 difference.
Although results and costs will vary, acupuncture is worth considering because it could save time and money.
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