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 Charlotte Acupuncture
Hope Peek and Todd Trembula are the primary practitioners at the Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center, and they are specialists in the practice of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Hope and Todd are Licensed Acupuncturists (L.Ac.) in the State of North Carolina, and they are nationally board certified as Diplomates in Oriental Medicine (Dipl. OM) by the National Certification Commission in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). The NCCAOM is the only recognized national organization to certify practitioners in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The Diplomate in Oriental Medicine is the highest level certification granted by the NCCAOM and is awarded to practitioners that have proven their knowledge and skills in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Oriental medical theory.
Hope and Todd have completed an extensive amount of training in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. They received Masters of Science degrees in OrientalMedicine (MSOM) from the prestigious Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, NM. Southwest Acupuncture College is one of the oldest and most respectededucational institutions of Oriental Medicine in the United States, and the MSOM degree is the highest fully accredited degree available in the field of acupuncture andOriental medicine. The MSOM program consists of over 3,000 hours of postgraduate training in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, and it is completed over fouracademic years. With over 1,000 hours of the program being devoted to clinical training, Southwest Acupuncture College is well-known for graduating highly-skilledpractitioners of Oriental Medicine.
All acupuncture treatment plans are tailored to the specific needs of each patient. However, gathering what we know from research and past experience, there are some general guidelines to be aware of and follow. Ideally, it is best to consult with an acupuncturist at least 3-4 months before beginning any fertility treatment. This allows the time to make the necessary diet, lifestyle, and exercise changes necessary to get the body into a more balanced, supportive state for increased fertility. It also allows the time for the optimal number of acupuncture & herbal medical treatments.
It is ideal to consult with your acupuncturist 3-4 months before beginning a fertility treatment involving Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to develop a treatment plan.
Generally, when combining acupuncture with ART (such as IVF, IUI, etc.), it is optimal to begin at least 1 acupuncture treatment per week for at least 3 months prior to the ART procedure. During the follicular stimulation phase (by pharmaceuticals), the acupuncture treatment frequency is commonly increased to twice per week. Also, it is optimal to receive an acupuncture treatment 12-48 hours both before and after the ART procedure.
If you are attempting to achieve a pregnancy through natural means only, the average treatment course is between 3-6 months. Treatment frequency will depend on many
factors, including: age, previous pregnancy history, general health, menstrual irregularities, and the etiology of infertility (both Western & Eastern diagnoses). In addition to acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine plays a large role in the natural infertility treatment plan. Lifestyle, dietary, and exercise changes will also be a very important part of the treatment plan.
www.charlotteacupuncture.com
Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center
700 East Boulevard, Suite 2
Charlotte, NC 28203
North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine
During In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), medications are often used to help stimulate the development and release of a woman's eggs. The eggs and sperm are then collected and placed together in a laboratory dish to fertilize. If the eggs are successfully fertilized, the embryos are then transferred into a woman's uterus or fallopian tubes. Hopefully, one of the fertilized eggs will implant and develop just as in unassisted conception.
An IVF cycle is broken down into four stages:
Ovarian Stimulization and Monitoring
In this inital phase, our goal is to create a large number of mature follicles so as to increase the chances of fertilization. Since a woman's body normally releases one mature egg every month, medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to develop more follicles. Follicles are fluid-filled sacs in which eggs mature. During this stage, we may use ultrasound to monitor the number and size of maturing follicles in your ovaries. Blood tests may also be used to monitor hormone levels which will help determine the best time to administer medication and to retrieve the eggs.
Egg Retrieval
In the second stage, a medication is used to stimulate the release of mature eggs. Our staff will identify the mature follicles using ultrasound, and then, with a needle,
withdraw as many eggs as possible from both ovaries.
Fertilization
A few hours before the eggs are retrieved, a semen sample is collected. Thousands of sperm are placed with each egg in the laboratory where they will hopefully form an
embryo. When only a few sperm are available, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) may be attempted. In this procedure, a single sperm is injected into an egg to
facilitate fertilization. The next day, the eggs will be examined under a microscope to determine whether fertilization has occurred. If it has, the embryos will be ready to
transfer into the uterus in about 72 hours.
Embryo Transfer
The embryos are placed in a tube and transferred back into the uterus. The procedure is usually painless, though some women may experience some cramping. The number of embryos transferred depends on a woman's age, cause of infertility, pregnancy history, and other factors. You can read more about IVF/ET below.
www.nccrm.com
400 Ashville Ave., Suite 200
Cary, North Carolina 27511
Phone: 919-233-1680 or 800-933-7202IVF Clinics Charlotte : IVF Clinics Winston : IVF Clinics Salem : IVF Clinics Greenville : IVF Clinics Asheville :
IVF Clinics Raleigh : IVF Clinics Durham |
