Hypnosis may boost IVF success rate

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

As we all know that infertility is a growing problem. According to WHO approximately 8-10% of couples experience some form of infertility problem. On a worldwide scale, this means that 50-80 million people suffer from infertility.

Some facts in India about infertility-

• An estimated one in seven couple in India have fertility problems and mostly there is no known medical explanation.
• It is believed that 10% of the general population suffers from some form of infertility.
• India has a population of over 1.2 billion, the number of Indians suffering from infertility is huge.
• Of every 100 couples reporting to fertility clinics, 40 per cent are cases of male infertility, 50 per cent are of women, and the remaining 10 per cent of both partners being infertile.

Infertility is complex and stressful experience and going for IVF often causes more stress to women because of fear of conceiving or not. In vitreo fertilization or IVF is a technique use to treat infertility which is widely popular and acceptable now as more and more couples are seeking towards it.

We have often seen that hypnotism is used when a person forgets themselves and goes in trance or in a state they move in and out of all of the time. When a person drifts off to sleep at night and wake up in the morning; they move through the hypnologic state, whilst daydreaming etc. But science has taken a step forward and proved that hypnosis can double the chances of IVF success rate.

We have introduced hypnosis or progressive relaxation therapy in IVF at our centre and the results are amazing. Our success rate has improved drastically in past one year.  We have used this progressive relaxation therapy on about 206 women so far and about 65% of them have been conceived.

According to a research done in European society of Human Reproduction and Embryology hypnosis can double the IVF success rate. The study was conducted by Professor Eliahu Levitas. In his study of 185 women found that 28% of women in the group who were hypnotized became pregnant, compared with 14% of those who were not.

Main part of IVF is the ET which is called Embryo Transfer which usually takes 10 to 15 days to contribute to an increased clinical pregnancy rate. Women may be stressed during embryo transfer from fears that the treatment will fail, fear of having a miscarriage that can effectively create an obstacle to conception; they will conceive or not or that the transfer will be painful etc.

Hypnosis helped a woman's uterus to remain relaxed, allowing the embryo to implant more easily. It is also possible, they say, that hypnosis produced changes in immune or hormonal uterine function resulting in an improvement in the interaction between the blastocyst and the endometrium or the lining of the uterus.

Hypnosis is one of the most effective tools that I know of for helping the mind to support the body throughout IVF treatment, as well as to help people to cope better with the whole experience. It can enhance natural conception & compliments IVF. Your fertility can be greatly enhanced with Hypnosis.

Case study:

Shilpa Jindal (name changed on request), 31 a housewife diagnosed with infertility in 2013. She

underwent IVF treatment at Mother’s Lap IVF centre in 2014. I was very anxious and doubtful about IVF. I had no idea how it will gonna help me as there was lot of mental and emotional pressure. My ET was due and during it I was extremely stressed out when the doctors there talked to me and they explained me that hypnosis will gonna help me in conceiving better.

She spent some time telling me about what the last two and half years had been like for her and how it had left her all broken. She told us all the family history how she had turned down social engagements, holidays and family gatherings to avoid being taunted by the relatives of not being pregnant yet.

So we counseled her, told her to perform deep breathing exercises and started the hypnotherapy procedure by taking her into deep trance, made her visualized that her baby is nearer to her.

As a result of our work, now Shilpa is happy with her 1 year old baby girl. Hypnosis is a wonderful way to change any negative feelings & release emotional blocks.

The reason hypnosis makes such a dramatic difference is not fully known but the body can be made to relax more completely and this makes all the hormone systems work more effectively. You can also relax the uterus which then allows for the egg to be implanted more easily.

Frozen embryo transfer- some frequently asked questions

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

Embryo transfer is a part of IVF process. Main part of IVF is the ET which is called Embryo Transfer which usually takes 10 to 15 days to be injected in woman’s womb. Spare embryos from your IVF treatment can be frozen for future use, depending on their quality. Embryos can be stored for up to ten years for future treatment if your first cycle was unsuccessful or for siblings. Freezing is complex and you should bear in mind that success rates can be reduced with frozen embryo transfer. The culture medium containing one or two embryos is loaded into a thin catheter with a syringe on the end. The doctor carefully guides the catheter through the vagina and cervix, and deposits the embryo(s) into the uterus. Implantation begins three to four days later. 

Now let’s take few FAQ’s

Q. 1 Who does it benefit the most?

Ans. Infertile couples, single parent, aged couples. Lets say if a couple has a baby through IVF and the couple froze some of the eggs for future use. When she returns in a few years for an FET for her second baby, her ovaries and eggs will have aged and her fertility will have statistically decreased somewhat, but her frozen embryos are just as good cellularly as they were when she was younger. It's like a head-start in the getting-pregnant process for older women. 

Q. 2 What is the cost of FET(frozen embryo transfer)in India?

Ans. Embryos are frozen with an IVF /ICSI cycle. So, the cost of IVF / ICSI would apply. There would be an additional cost of freezing the embryos and storing them per year. For details on costs, email us on motherslapivf@gmail.com.

Q. 3 What to expect during FET?

Ans. After embryo transfer, you have to wait approximately 1-2 weeks before a pregnancy can be detected. Once the embryo / embryos are in, you just have to chill out and take it easy for a couple weeks. Patients tend to get emotional too during FET; even though FET is less involved and less stressful than IVF, the emotional roller coaster is still present, and as chaotic as ever.  The preparation stage is still a drag, as the two-week wait will be also. After FET one must continue with the medicines estrogen and progesterone.

Tips for your IVF success

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

Please go by the following tips to help you and your partner relax during the IVF process and maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

1. First of all avoid making major life changes such as moving to a new house or starting a new job the same time you’re going through the IVF process.
2. Acupuncture may be beneficial to women who are undergoing the IVF process when performed within one day of the embryo transfer.
3. For Men - Check your semen before beginning an IVF cycle, to determine its quality and whether there is an infection present, among other potential issues.
4. Maintain proper communication with your IVF consultant/doctor as then your IVF treatment will be much easier.
5. A few months before your IVF, begin eating a fertility diet. Getting nutritious foods is vital for producing healthy eggs and promoting implantation