The Dao Does X Jean Hailes Women’s Health Week 2023 Journal Series ~
Why you should consider Egg Freezing with Gynaecologist & IVF Specialist Dr. Devora Lieberman ~
Acupuncture provides a low-risk intervention to support women as they undergo a cycle of Egg Freezing. Benefits of including Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in preparation for your cycle in hormonal support to encourage optimal outcomes of the number of eggs and to support symptoms during and post egg retrieval.
At The Dao Health, prior to beginning a cycle, we recommend at to prepare your body for a minimum of three months to support an optimal outcome. Treatment includes supporting a regular menstrual cycle, efficient Ovulation and healthy blood flow.
For woman pausing or stopping contraction to undergo egg freezing, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine plays a significant role in regulating the Hypothalamic Axis to support Ovulation and regular menstrual cycles in addition to providing education about the menstrual cycle and getting to know your hormones
Depending on the individual, treatment to prepare for Egg Freezing at The Dao Health includes an integrative model of care that involves supporting hormone levels prior to the cycle through pathology testing, Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and supplement prescription and review, Chinese Dietary Therapy and lifestyle advice. This supports women in preparing for their egg-freezing cycle with realistic expectations and how to manage side effects that can come with hormonal treatment. An individual’s treatment plan, with their consent, is then discussed with their fertility doctor in a shared care model.
During the egg freezing cycle, treatment involves Acupuncture to support the process of the cycle, for pain relief post-egg retrieval, to reduce bloating and to support mental health throughout the process. Chinese herbal medicine is not used throughout the cycle as the herbs can interact with hormonal treatment which can affect hormonal progression in a negative way.
When choosing a fertility specialist to support you through the discussion of freezing your eggs, it is important to decide on a doctor who takes the time to take you through all the factors to consider before beginning a cycle. Dr Devora is supportive and sees her patients as a whole person which in turn empowers women and couples to make the right choices for themselves.
Dr Devora has previously been a special guest on our Integrating Chinese Medicine podcast, to listen to the episode on Fertility, IVF, IVM – Where to from here?
It is important to note that Acupuncture in pregnancy should be practiced by an AHPRA-registered Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who is trained in Women’s Health and Pregnancy.
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Gynaecologist & IVF Specialist, Dr Devora Lieberman ~
Fertility specialist Dr. Devora Lieberman believes in a progressive, evidence-based, and caring approach when treating her patients. Dr. Lieberman’s main interests are in ovarian ageing, miscarriage and genetic disease. Many of the patients she treats have suffered from recurrent miscarriage or IVF failure to whom Dr Lieberman has provided persistent support to achieve a successful outcome and with over 25 years of experience, Dr Lieberman’s patients benefit from her vast knowledge and experience.
Dr. Lieberman works closely with the City Fertility team of dedicated nurses and scientists who provide highly personalised care in the state-of-the-art IVF facility that offers the full range of assisted conception services.
Dr Lieberman is passionate about women’s health and as a renowned fertility specialist, is very active outside of her practice. Dr. Lieberman was President of Family Planning NSW for 12 years and also served on the Board of Sexual Health and Family Planning for 2 years as its president. She was Director of the Fertility Society of Australia for 8 years and its Vice President for 2 of those. She also spent 17 years as a Visiting Medical Officer at the Menopause Clinic at the Royal North Shore Hospital.
Dr. Lieberman often writes and speaks about fertility-related issues to both professional and consumer audiences. In 2016, she published ‘Empowered Fertility’ which she wrote in conjunction with Claire Hall. The book provides readers with information and support to address physical, psychological, emotional, and social challenges that arise when dealing with infertility and IVF treatment.
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1. What does Women’s Health mean to you?
For me, Women’s Health is about enabling women and people assigned female at birth to have the information and access to services to optimise their reproductive health. I was politicised at a young age- I had a summer job in high school working in our local hospital’s blood bank. They had a termination clinic and we did the blood types for the patients, many of whom were younger than I. So reducing unintended pregnancies became my mission and led me to become a gynaecologist. These days, my definition of family planning has expanded to include IVF, miscarriage management, and egg freezing.
2. What does the process of Egg Freezing involve?
Every month in a natural cycle, a woman will have a whole crop of eggs that start to grow up. With the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone that her pituitary gland makes, only 1 will grow up, dominate and ovulate. In egg freezing, women take injections of follicle-stimulating hormone to get lots of follicles to grow, usually for around 10-12 days, and then the eggs are collected transvaginally under ultrasound guidance. Most women are quite surprised at how well they feel through the process.
3. Is there an ideal window for women to freeze their eggs?
For a woman with normal ovarian reserve, the sweet spot is probably between 32-35. The younger a woman is when she freezes eggs, the less likely she is to need them, as she has more time to partner. And she’ll have many more years of storage fees!
4. What number of eggs is ideal for women to freeze for future fertility? Can this mean more than one cycle of Egg Freezing?
The ideal number to know that a woman has done everything she can is around 20. If 20 frozen eggs don’t make a baby, then it’s unlikely that the 21st, the 30th, or the 50th would have gotten her there. There’s an upper limit to the chance of success, and it declines with advancing age.
5. What do you wish women and couples knew about the process of Egg Freezing?
That it is not a guarantee of having a baby in future, but it’s about knowing that you’ve done all you can to optimise your family planning plans.
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Interviewed by Elizabeth Cullen
(BHlthSc (TCM), MWomHMed)
