New mum Claire Ashby beams with joy as she cradles the baby she thought she would never have.
And little Nancy looks like any normal happy and healthy baby.
But the difference between them and other mums and babies is, unusually, Claire says she has acupuncture to thank for conceiving her daughter.
For Claire and her partner Richard, of Leamington, were among the one in six couples in the UK with fertility problems – and had almost given up hope of having children after a two-year struggle getting pregnant.
Claire is convinced she would still be on costly fertility treatment now had she not gone under the needle in the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture as the couple underwent IVF at Coventry’s University Hospital.
She says four-month-old Nancy is living proof of the amazing benefits when Western medicine is combined with traditional Eastern therapies.
Claire said: “We thought getting pregnant naturally would be quite easy, but after two years of trying we decided the time was right to try IVF.
“I’d just turned 40 so it had become more expensive for us.
“A friend had gone through IVF and got pregnant in her third round after acupuncture.
“We were also told at the hospital that acupuncture could help and there were posters on the walls.
“I just thought we might as well give it a go.”
Acupuncture is said to work by reducing stress levels and enhancing the blood supply to the woman’s uterus, improving the quality of eggs, and sperm when performed on men.
It operates on the principle that health is maintained by internal energy flow called Qi and that when the energy is interrupted it can cause an imbalance in the body’s function.
Now it is hoped countless other couples will also benefit as, in a major move for the University Hospital, its Centre for Reproductive Medicine, one of the UK’s leading infertility units, has established a link-up with a local acupuncturist – strongly recommending patients seek the alternative therapy alongside their conventional treatment.
A study published by the British Medical Journal found acupuncture alongside IVF can improve pregnancy and live births rates by as much as 65 per cent.
The official relationship between the hospital and accredited acupuncturist Jacqueline Hurst began in November.
Claire and Richard had attended appointments at Jacqueline’s fertility centre in Leamington, and were amazed when pregnancy tests came back positive after just one IVF cycle.
“We were so pleased because when you go through IVF you assume you can’t have children, but we had to stay positive,” added Claire.
“I’d never had acupuncture before and was a bit apprehensive at first but Jacqueline put me at ease.”
She continued with acupuncture throughout her pregnancy and Nancy was born at Coventry’s University Hospital on February 16, weighing a healthy 8lbs.
Jacqueline, an acupuncturist of 10 years, says she has helped more than 100 couples conceive over the years.
She endured her own fertility struggles before adopting a son, now aged 23.
She said: “It’s a two-way relationship between myself and the hospital, an example of conventional medicine and alternative therapies working hand-in-hand.
“The hospital sends people to me and I send people to them. It’s an honour, I’m proud to be part of it.”
UHCW fertility consultant Dr Rina Agrawal said: “I firmly believe in the vitality and importance of complementary care, which includes all of the services Jacqueline offers, supporting conception and assisted conception.
“Jacqueline’s counselling skills also benefit many of my patients, as she is a member of the British Infertility Counselling Association.”
For more information about acupuncture call Jacqueline Hurst on 01926 833019 or visit www.fertility-support.co.uk
Original article and pictures take s2-prod.coventrytelegraph.net site
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий