IVF, Pregnancy and Children

 

Lucy saw me through a very intensive period in my life. With no medical reasons on either side my husband and I were unable to conceive naturally. So when I was 40 we commenced IVF treatment. I saw Lucy for about 1.5 years on and off during the time i received IVF treatment.

 

The great thing about Lucy is that not only is she very skilled acupuncturist, her knowledge of fertility is very comprehensive to. She was therefore able to make sense of the treatment i was receiving and the impact it was having on my body. 

 

The IVF treatment was very intense and made me feel very sick, however, my weekly visits with Lucy really helped to alleviate some of my symptoms. Amazingly, at one point during my treatment i was told by the IVF clinic that I would need to undergo a small operation for cysts. To remove pools of blood near my ovaries before my treatment could start again after a failed cycle of treatment. However, after explaining this to Lucy and receiving treatment, when the clinic looked at my ovaries again via an ultrasound a couple of days after the previous diagnoses the cysts had completely disappeared. Thus Lucy's treatment prevented me from having to have more invasive medical treatment.

 

IVF treatment is not only physically challenging but also mentally challenging. Receiving the acupuncture treatment from Lucy really helped to de stress me. Also, Lucy is a great person to talk to. So in her sessions you not only receive the acupuncture but she also acts as a councillor and advisor. I personally found this really helpful as we decided not to tell people we were trying IVF.

 

Lucy saw me through 4 of the 5 cycles of IVF we went through. We went onto have twins on the 5th cycle. I then continued to see Lucy on a weekly basis all the way through my pregnancy.

 

I was 41 when I conceived the twins and I luckily had a very good pregnancy. I put this down to Lucy's treatment as she was able to help with all the aches and pains which pregnancy brings. Consequently, i had hardly any morning sickness and Lucy was always able to help where in pregnancy conventional medicine was unable to. 

 

Following the successful birth of the twins they both develop really bad wind /colic and also one of them had a stuffy nose. Lucy was the first person I turned to to help. She gave them acupuncture when they were only 6 weeks old and it benefited them too.

 

Rachel

 

Matilda's Story - IVF, Acupuncture and One Last Chance to Have a Baby

 

Matilda came to see me for help with fertility issues.  Both of her tubes had been removed, so her only option of conceiving was through IVF.  She had been through 2 IVF cycles, one of which worked, but unfortunately she had miscarried in the early stages.  This was her third and final chance (due to financial constraints) at becoming pregnant with one last IVF cycle. 

 

Upon my recommendation, I saw her 4 times before she started the IVF cycle and then almost weekly throughout the process.  In both previous cycles she had produced 6 or less eggs, on this cycle she had 15!  Furthermore, on both previous cycles there had been problems with the embryos being fragmented, whereas on this one, both embryos that were put back were of good quality and not fragmented, giving her a much better chance at conceiving. 

 

Matilda really felt the benefits of acupuncture, not just in herself and for other minor health complaints that she had, but also from the results of the IVF: the more than doubled increase in eggs, and the increased quality of the embryos.  She subsequently became pregnant and had a beautiful, healthy baby girl.