Managing infertility: combining alternative and conventional therapies for a successful pregnancy

by Jacki Hart, MD

Dr. Jacki Hart "Every child is a miracle," people say. This is true on many levels, particularly when you consider the odds of becoming pregnant and staying pregnant until the time of a safe delivery. Only 15% of couples conceive in their first month of trying. By six months and one year, that number increases to 60% and 80%, respectively.

Approximately 14% of couples trying to have a baby are considered infertile. Infertility is defined as an inability to become pregnant after one year of actively trying to conceive by having unprotected intercourse often enough and at the appropriate times in the cycle that conception would have occurred for the majority of people. The good news is that through appropriate medical treatment of both partners, at least 50% of so-called infertile couples are able to conceive a baby.

For about two years, Julie and Mark Simmons (not their real names) thought that they would never become parents at least not by conceiving on their own. Now, Julie and Mark are the proud parents of five-month-old David (also not his real name).

How did it happen for Julie, Mark, and David? The Simmons used a combination of modern technology, alternative therapies, and a lot of love and patience.

When the Simmons started to try to have a baby, Julie was 29 and Mark was 31. They were both perfectly healthy. Neither had ever smoked, used recreational drugs, or had a history of a sexually transmitted disease (all risk factors for difficulty or inability to conceive); they were both physically fit and active and Julies menstrual cycle had been regular since her periods began at age 14.

Julie and Mark assumed, like most do, that conception would be the easy part of having a baby; delivery and parenting would be the hard parts. After six months of trying on their own without success, Julie and Mark decided to try to improve their chances and speed up the process. Since they were not yet considered "infertile" by the medical definition described above, they sought out alternative treatments.

First, Julie attended a womans group for stress and relaxation. There, she learned meditation and yoga, and attended a support group. Many of the women attending this group did get pregnant; in fact, studies suggest that those who attend stress reduction programs are more likely to conceive.

While Julie found that meditation and other forms of relaxation helped to ease some of her anxiety, she found herself feeling jealous of the women who were able to conceive. She also felt what she describes as a "false sense of hope." Many couples describe similar feelings excitement between the time that the woman ovulates and the time that her period begins. But if and when menstruation occurs, this confidence and hope quickly changes to sadness and disappointment.

After one year of trying to become pregnant, Julie and Mark sought out conventional infertility care, for which they were then eligible, and began acupuncture treatments. The conventional care included fertility drugs prescribed by their doctor and, ultimately, in vitro fertilization (IVF). After one year of conventional treatment combined with acupuncture, Julie got pregnant.

Since Julie combined several types of treatment, it is difficult to determine how each affected her attempts at pregnancy. However, she found great value in acupuncture as well as yoga and meditation. These practices helped her to relax and cope with the monthly worry and wonder about whether she was pregnant.

In Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been used to treat both male and female infertility. Researchers are now finding that this traditional use is grounded in science. In fact, some studies suggest that acupuncture helps:

• Increase sperm count
• Fix irregular menstrual cycles
• Treat conditions such as polycystic ovaries and endometriosis that may contribute to infertility in a woman

A study done in 1992 divided women experiencing infertility related to menstrual irregularities into two groups. One group was given medical treatment in the form of hormonal therapy, and the other received ear acupuncture. At the end of the study, 56% of the women in the acupuncture group had gotten pregnant compared with 44% of the women who received the hormonal medications.

Seeking what Westerners call "alternative healing" for infertility is normal practice in many countries. In Africa, for example, people seek help from so-called "traditional healers" more frequently than from doctors at modern hospitals for problems related to conception. Traditional healers and other religious healers, including Christians, believe that past lives can affect fertility. As treatment, they use prayer, fasting, and appropriate timing of intercourse to coincide with the most fertile time of the womans cycle.

Julie and Mark had the right idea in their approach to getting pregnant. They combined the best of modern science with practices that helped them relax and thereby increase their chances of having a baby. For this couple those practices were yoga, meditation, and acupuncture. These methods do successfully aid many people dealing with infertility by helping them to be more comfortable with the process and more accepting of what may or may not happen.

Exactly how and why acupuncture works is still not entirely clear. It seems, though, that something beyond relaxation takes place since there are often measurable improvements in physical factors, such as sperm count.

Although Julie did not find much comfort from the support group, many women do. And as noted above, studies show a greater chance of getting pregnant among women who join support and/or relaxation groups. Other types of relaxation that have helped some women are self-hypnosis and visual imagery. A trained and licensed specialist in hypnotherapy can help you learn this technique.

If you use any alternative method to help you cope with infertility, work with your physician who can help monitor the success and safety of these practices. It is important to remember that some cases of infertility cannot be resolved with either conventional or alternative methods of healing. If this is the case, relaxation techniques can still be helpful in dealing with stress.

I hope that you have the same wonderful results that Julie, Mark, and David have had. The Simmons say that if they had it to do over again, they would use the same methods.