(This article is sponsored by Acubalance Wellness Centre and Olive Fertility Centre.)

Metro Vancouver resident Merewyn Hines knew at a fairly young age that she wanted to be a mom. And she wasn’t necessarily going to wait until she had a partner.

“When I turned 25, I actually made the decision that if I wasn’t in a committed relationship by the time I hit 35, I would do it on my own,” she said.

Although Hines was in a relationship on her 30th birthday it wasn’t going in the right direction.  But she didn’t give up on the dream of motherhood and started putting money aside into a baby fund.

In addition, she began researching the experiences of single mothers, as well as reproductive technologies.

“When I was 34, I decided I was ready,” Hines said. “That’s when I first made an appointment to go and see the fertility doctor.”

She said that Dr. Beth Taylor at Olive Fertility Centre was responsible for her overall care, but over the course of becoming pregnant, she was treated by other fertility doctors at the clinic, including Dr. Jason Hitkari and Dr. Al Yuzpe.

“Two-and-a-half years ago—after receiving in vitro fertilization at Olive and going on a fertility diet and undergoing fertility acupuncture at Acubalance Wellness Centre—Hines gave birth to her daughter.

It came after Hines had gone through two miscarriages.

“Every time I would go in for yet another checkup, I would wonder if something is going to go wrong,” Hines recalled. “Then when it didn’t, there was just that surprise and shock. But as the pregnancy progressed, that kind of faded because you’re farther than you’ve ever been in the process. So that bolsters you.”

Infertility can lead to grief

Infertility is far more common than many people might think, with nearly one in six couples going through this, according to Hitkari.

Yuzpe coauthored a 2012 study in the peer-reviewed journal Human Reproduction, which reported that infertility was on the rise in Canada, even among young couples.

Yuzpe and his colleagues estimated that about 16 percent of heterosexual couples in which the woman was between 18 and 44 experience infertility. That was nearly double the rate reported in 1992.

“What a lot of our patients are struggling with is the emotional strain of not getting pregnant,” Hitkari said. “It can be really devastating and demoralizing for people. Studies have shown that the grief with infertility is equivalent to death—a close death in the family. So they really, really struggle.”

There will be several events in Metro Vancouver (see bottom of this article) to educate the public about possible solutions during Infertility Awareness Week, which takes place from Sunda (May 7) to next Sunday (May 14). 

Olive Fertility Centre is a medical facility and laboratory. Hitkari is proud of how it works collaboratively with Acubalance Wellness Centre, a natural fertility clinic, to support individuals and couples in a multitude of ways as they’re trying to conceive.

Statistics on Olive’s website indicate that this approach is working.

In 2015 the national average for achieving a clinical pregnancy was 29 percent for those between 38 and 40 years old with a fresh embryo transfer using a woman’s own eggs. At Olive, the rate was 72 percent from January to June of 2016 for women in this age bracket.

Hitkari said that Olive plays a role in bringing about 100 to 150 pregnancies per month, whether that’s through IVF, artificial insemination, or other methods. He added that sometimes, inexpensive pills will be enough to get a woman ovulating; on other occasions, surgery might be necessary.

“Our physicians are really experienced,” Hitkari noted, “and our laboratory staff are really experienced, with PhDs in this, and so that’s what contributes to very good success rates.”

Healthy blood flow promotes fertility

Acubalance Wellness Centre was founded by Dr. Lorne Brown, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine and a former chartered accountant (CPA).

A passionate advocate of supporting the body’s innate ability to heal itself, Brown combines a love for the science of human physiology with a deep respect for what’s been learned through thousands of years of traditional medical practices in China.

He’s keenly interested in the research into acupuncture for fertility and how it can be used to increase blood flow to the reproductive system, reduce the effects of stress, regulate hormones, induce ovulation and increase IVF success.

And Brown is fascinated by early studies showing how low-level light therapy & cold laser (LLLT) can optimize fertility by increasing the production of one of those nucleotides, ademosine triphosphate (ATP), which may help rejuvenate the energy in older eggs.  LLLT can also  regulate inflammation and enhances blood flow which are key factors for over health and fertility.   Acubalance offers cold laser for fertility, PCOS and endometriosis.

He’s such a strong proponent of acupuncture in promoting fertility because it’s been demonstrated to boost blood flow to the reproductive system.

“He brings his back ground as an auditor,” Brown revealed in an interview. “I like to do a fertility audit on men and women to identify the underlying cause to their infertility”.  Our role at Acubalance is to help man’s sperm and women’s egg reach their peak fertility potential, whether trying to conceive naturally or with IVF

Acubalance is an integrative clinic that incorporates acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathy, and functional medicine to accomplish these objectives.  Acubalance pioneered acupuncture on-site at the IVF clinics in Vancouver and currently provides both traditional and laser acupuncture on-site  only at the Olive Fertility Centre on IVF transfer day.

Hines said that during her first IVF cycle at Olive, she started going to Acubalance, where she was put on a fertility diet based on the landmark Harvard Nurses’ Health Study.

It discourages the use of trans fats and promotes the consumption of slow carbs, whole milk, iron from plants, unsaturated vegetable oils, and getting plenty of iron from plants.  The Acubalance Fertility Diet is available online at www.acubalance.ca/.

Hines was also treated by an Acubalance acupuncturist, who noticed that her anxiety levels were “outside the range of normal”. As a result, Hines went to an anxiety clinic where this was addressed.

Scientific breakthroughs boost chance of conception

Meanwhile, Olive Fertility Centre’s Hitkari said there have been tremendous advances with IVF treatments since he entered this field more than a decade ago.

For instance, it’s become far more common to freeze eggs to preserve a woman’s fertility.

In addition, there’s now comprehensive chromosome testing. This makes it possible to conduct biopsies on embryos to assess whether there are damaged chromosomes.

“In the past, we didn’t know,” Hitkari said. “We just looked at the embryos and tried the prettiest ones first and the not-so-pretty ones next.”

So who’s best suited to undergo IVF treatments?

According to Hitkari, the reasons are varied. It can be helpful for women with blocked fallopian tubes and pelvic scarring and when the man has abnormal or not-at-grade sperm.

“The younger the person is, the better it works,” he stated. “For those over 43 years old, the success rates are generally pretty low.

Acubalance’s Brown readily acknowledged that the likelihood of pregnancy is related to a woman’s chronological age as well as her biological age. He also pointed out that humans are affected by chemicals and toxins from our environment that act as endocrine-disruptors that can negatively impact our health and fertility.

“These endocrine disrupting chemicals lead to low-grade, systemic inflammation in the body,” Brown stated. “And this inflammation leads to accelerated biological aging, resulting in degenerative diseases and premature fertility decline.”

This phenomenon has been coined ‘inflammaging’.

According to Brown, because systemic inflammation is linked to accelerated biological aging, the objective should be "to reduce it through an anti-inflammatory diet, mind-body stress reduction techniques, acupuncture, cold laser, and nutraceuticals" to support the body in eliminating these chemicals.

Acubalance offers regular educational events on using diet, lifestyle and stress reduction to improve health and fertility. During these presentations it also shares its approach on using traditional and laser acupuncture (LLLT) to help you reach your peak fertility potential.

Health plans differ by province

Under the Medical Services Plan, a person will have costs covered for consultation with a fertility doctor and for tests that are ordered by the physician. MSP also provides a $23 subsidy for each of up to 10 annual visits to an acupuncturist or other holistic practitioners.

Hitkari pointed out that in Ontario, residents are covered under the medical plan for one IVF cycle. And in some other provinces, tax credits are available for those who receive IVF treatments.

“The minute it’s covered, the utilization goes way up,” he said. “People are just not doing it because they can’t afford it.”

Hitkari would like to see more provincial government support to treat infertility, noting that the United Nations has recognized that people have a right to pursue a family.

“My advice for women who are single and approaching or over the age of 35 is to see their doctor about getting an assessment of their ovarian reserve—or what their fertility potential is,” he said. “They can make informed decisions about whether to pursue pregnancy sooner with their partner or with donor sperm—or whether they should think about preserving their fertility [by freezing eggs]."

For Merewyn Hines, motherhood has turned out to be largely what she expected it to be.

 “I knew there were going to be challenges, but I also knew there would be great moments.” she said.

She also revealed that a friend recently asked if she could imagine what life would be like had she given up on the dream of having a child.

“I honestly can’t,” Hines said. “As complicated as life can get when you’re a single parent with a young child, I can’t imagine being without her. I wouldn’t want my life without her.”

During Infertility Awareness Week, there are three free events. On Monday (May 8), reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Niamh Tallon will speak from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Whistler Tea House (112–4368 Main Street, Whistler). On Wednesday (May 10), reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Beth Taylor and fertility acupuncturist Dr. Lorne Brown will speak from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Olive Fertility Centre (400–East Tower, 555 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver). On Thursday (May 11), reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jason Hitkari and naturopathic physician Dr. Kali MacIsaac will speak from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Surrey City Centre Library (10350 University Drive, Surrey). Space is limited. Call 604-678-8600 to reserve a spot. For more information, visit acubalance.ca or olivefertility.com.

Like Acubalance on Facebook and follow on Twitter. Use the hashtag: #fertilitymatters

This article is sponsored by Acubalance Wellness Centre and Olive Fertility Centre.