Acupuncture alone vs. IVF

[Vickyp]

Hi Little P

Having FET starting mid July seems like ages at the mo but we are going on a holiday soon so that will pass the time! Love Vicky

[LittleP]

Vicky

A holiday will be the perfect relaxation before going through all this. I hope that you have a lovely time - where are you going?

Little P

[Bronagh]

HI ,
I'd like to pick up on the acupuncture verses IVF debate. You talk about feeling like a number were as the chinese doc gives you time. This is something that happens with the medical profession there are under such time pressure they have to be quick ,which is annoying for the patient. You can get very addicted to complementary therapies simply because they are also the praticioners give you time to offload.

I'm on my 3rd IVF I have also tried chinese medicine. the doc was happy to work along with me what she was able to do with the acupuncture was stop the very painful periods \i was having but I'm 38 now so I didnt feel like I had another year to wait on acupuncture to try and get pregnant Although they are always able to give you examples. I dont know the issues around cancer and IVF but I think you shoud get a second opinion with the acupuncture, also when you are on the waiting list for IVF by law they must offer you independant counselling to help with the thinking and emotion issues around it (free on nhs for included in the price if your private) this has helped me enormously getting my head around things.

Whatever you decide to do , good luck.
Bron

[Vickyp]

Hi Little P

We are going to Turkey. I wanted to go to Phuket as I have a friend who teaches there but I was worried about having lots of vaccines before FET. I still have to have Hepatitis A but the hospital that was okay. I've never been to Turkey - it looks lovely - I also love bazaars etc so hoping to get some haggling in! Scary! Have you been? Love Vickyx

[LittleP]

Vicky

No I've never been to Turkey - I'm sure you will have a lovely time and some fun by the sounds of it

I went to Phuket in 2000 - It was absolutely beautiful, I do recommend that you keep it on your "To Go To" list.

I bet you can't wait to go away and just chill out and relax - it really will be a fantastic lead up to the treatment and put your body in the right frame of mind.

You'll have to tell us all about it when you get back.

Little P

[Vickyp]

Hi Little P

I will tell all on my return & we are definately planning to go to phuket sometime this year - it does look incredible.

I was just wondering if anyone has read anything about mercury in fish & what you can/can't eat? Ive seen that Zita West has supplements that seem to provide same sort of thing that fish provide. Sorry to change the subject - just read something yesterday that alerted me to the fact. I have happily been forcing myself to eat more fish as advised by pregnancy bks etc - then read that they may have all sorts of toxic substances in them. Vicky.

[LittleP]

Vicky

I'm on Zita West's vitamins and one of the ones they recommended for me to take was Vital DHA. This is the one with fish oils in it.

They are not the cheapest vitamins, but come highly recommended. Do have a look at her website and give the clinic a call, they are really helpful the girls there and will guide you through all the options.

Little P

[Sand]

Hi Vicky ... Tuna fish has a high mercury content. Zita West advises no more than 2 portions per week, although I have read elsewhere that 4 portions a week is okay.

Sandra x

[taylorjools]

my special book on EPA (essential fatty acid from fish etc) says avoid large fish, so tuna steaks for example, as the concentrations are higher. we are lucky here as we have fresh local lake fish and it's a conservation area. You can also eat lots of nuts, that has EPA too.

I am taking EPA capsules called veg-EPA which are a combination of veg EPA and evening primrose oil with no DHA (which inhibits EPA uptake). I am taking them as they are also a natural protection from depression and supposed to help guard against post-natal depression as well as all the other things. if you are worried about fish you could try that???

Love bigJ

[Vickyp]

Thanks Guys

Had a bit of a panic about it! SO difficult to know what to eat, drink etc - I'm sure we could all become nutritional experts after this! I had read this article about Sarah Beeny volunteering to be part of a survey with the WWF. She was tested for toxins along with a number of other celebs & she turned out to be Little Miss Toxic - which they put down to her love of seafood.
I think I'll call Zita West's clinic & get down the Health food shop to check out your suggestions at the moment I take pro-natal vitamins & selenium & try to eat loads of veg, fish, seeds & nuts etc. Thanks again - got to do some work now! Boring. Lots of Love Vicky

[dancola]

I had read that pregnant women should avoid tuna fish altogether because of the mercury levels, and I had read that pregnant women should avoid tuna fish altogether because of the mercury levels, and eat other fish such as swordfish only once or twice a week. I like swordfish, but it’s not something I can get fresh in the UK, so I only eat it in Italy. I think the safest fish to eat are the oily ones – i.e. salmon, mackerel, herring etc.

I too was taking Zita’s DHA capsules the first time round. I’m now taking Dr. Marilyn Glenville’s and a supplement of Omega 3-6-9 from Holland & Barrett (a combo of Sunflower, Flaxseed and Fish Oils). On H&B’s website they also have a Natural EPA Fish Oil supplement with EPA & DHA – on special offer if you buy 250 capsules for £ 4.99. I might try those. Zita is great for telling you what to take, but once you know the supplements you need, it’s then easier to go to somewhere like Holland and source cheaper versions.

[Tracii]

Also duck is bad for you...if you have duck to eat make sure it is not even pink..should be cooked thoroughly...which isn't worth eating then is it?

[tandyvirdee]

Dancola or any others who know
Please can you email me the contact details for the London Acupuncture clinic.
priti@goneloco.com

[dancola]

Have sent you a PM this morning.

[Almaduke]

Hi all!

It’s been a while since I’ve been on this board due to some major decisions that I’ve had to make.

I have to give huge thanks to all of you for taking the time to offer such wonderful advice. Thank you to Joanne, minnow, kat, Rita, dancola, eskavon, Vicky, bigJ and bron for your interest, your advice, for sharing your experiences, knowledge and support. Vicky, you did not sound negative at all…on the contrary….you provided some excellent information from an unbiased point of view, which is exactly what I needed …your post was awesome!

Here’s the latest scoop on me:

The day that my DH and I went to see my acupuncturist I had already made up my mind that I was going to go ahead with the IVF treatment. I was just interested in what she had to say. After speaking to her about my medical history she diagnosed me with candidiasis. I have to say that for the last few years I’ve been having many problems with my digestion, not to mention numerous other candida-related problems that affected my physical and emotional well-being….so her diagnosis made perfect sense to me.

I decided right then and there that my first priority right now is to get myself healthy again, especially before trying to get pregnant. Also, in the time that I’m getting treatment for my candiasis, she is treating my endometriosis and blocked tubes. She was very confident that they could be unblocked with acupuncture alone but told me that it may take up to 18 months. I continue to be skeptical about this but I figure that if I don’t at least give it an honest chance, being the type of person that I am, that I may regret it later on and always wonder “what if?”.

At this stage of the game I am willing to be patient in order to become healthy and take the gamble that I may be able to get pregnant naturally and not have to go through the stressful IVF treatment. If the acupuncture treatment fails to allow me to get pregnant naturally then I will have no choice but to consider IVF again but at least I will be at peace with myself for having tried another option.

I have to say that making the decision to try the acupuncture treatment alone has lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. I’m just happy that I finally made a decision either way. I also feel that this was the right decision for me considering that I didn’t feel very healthy before. I’ve been receiving acupuncture and homeopathic treatment for over a week now and my life is really starting to turn around. The first few days were rough as my body was eliminating toxins but now I’m starting to feel healthier than I have in a long time. I’m losing weight (needed to), I have much more energy, my anxiety is gone and I feel much more positive about the future, whatever it may hold.

My DH and I are even considering looking into adoption, regardless of whether or not we are able to have a biological child!

Many thanks again for all of the advice, which helped me in one way or another to come to this decision. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found this board. I hope that you don’t mind me checking the forum from time to time to see how everyone is doing…

Good luck to all of you wonderful ladies on your journeys!!!

Lots of love and best wishes,