Hypnosis IVF Success

Hypnosis Patients Suffer Less Pain

Hypnosis can double the success of IVF treatment, researchers have claimed. A team from Soroka University, Israel, found 28% of women in the group who were hypnotised became pregnant, compared with 14% of those who were not.

The study of 185 women was presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Berlin.

But other experts said the research failed to account for key differences between the two groups. The Israeli researchers were looking to see if hypnosis could make the embryo transfer stage of IVF more successful. During this stage, the embryo is transferred into the womb. However, if the womb is contracting, it can affect the chances of the transplant being a success.

It was hoped hypnotherapy could help women relax and therefore improve the chances of success.

Stress 

Women undergoing IVF were assessed to see if they were suitable to be hypnotised.

Eighty-nine women were then given hypnosis while their embryos were implanted. Some underwent more than one cycle of IVF treatment.

Ninety-six other women underwent embryo transfers without hypnosis. All received one cycle each.

Dr Eliahu Levitas, who led the research, told the conference: "Embryo transfer is known to be a stressful time for patients, and it may be that the procedure is the peak of their stress in IVF. Hypnosis may be related to a tranquilising effect. Performing embryo transfer under hypnosis may significantly contribute to an increased clinical pregnancy rate."

But experts said the study failed to take into account key differences between the groups which would have a major influence on their chances of conceiving.

On average, women in the non-hypnosis group had been trying to conceive for 7.4 years, compared with 4.7 years for those who did receive hypnosis.

Dr Francois Shenfield, of University College London Hospital, UK, said: "One of the very important confounding factors in this field is the duration of infertility. The longer a couple have been trying to conceive, the less likely they are to conceive spontaneously, and with technical help."

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Article - Hypnosis Patients suffer less pain
 By Caroline Ryan, BBC News Online Health Staff, Berlin
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Giving patients a form of hypnosis helps them cope better with the pain and anxiety of minor operations, doctors have found.

Patients instructed in self-hypnotic relaxation had less pain, needed less pain-killing drugs and had better control over their blood pressure.

Elvira Lang and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, USA, studied 241 patients, a third of whom received self-hypnotic instruction.

Doctors are keen to cut the quantity of sedatives and narcotics patients need, as they can cause various physical problems during operations.

Deep breaths

The techniques in the study included telling the patient to relax all their muscles one by one, and count backwards from 100.

Some patients were also told to roll their eyes upwards, breathe deeply, and concentrate on a sensation of floating. They were also told to focus on a "safe and pleasant" experience.

All the patients in the study, whether receiving hypnosis or simply standard treatment, were given access to self-controlled painkilling drugs during the operations.

The procedures involved were not major "open" operations, but invovled the insertion of probes into blood vessels.

Despite the time it took to instruct patients in the techniques, the fact that patients under hypnosis were less restless meant that they actually spent less time - 17 minutes on average - in the operating theatre.

However, it is not clear whether the patient benefits found in the study were the result of actual hypnosis or simply deep relaxation triggered by the techniques.

Dr Peter Wallace, a consultant anaesthetist from the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, said that anything which reduced the need for drugs would be welcome.

He said: "The concept of relaxation techniques for patients undergoing this sort of procedure is well-established. I'm not sure whether there is any real difference between these and hypnosis, but certainly, the results here in terms of reduced need for sedatives is quite remarkable."

However, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Leo Strunin, said that many hospital departments carrying out these procedures were too stretched to spare the time to teach such hypnosis techniques.

He said: "The problem is that they are so unpredictable - they may work for some people but not for others."

The research was reported in the Lancet medical journal.

Article - Hypnosis 'Doubles IVF Success'
By Caroline Ryan, BBC News Online Health Staff, Berlin 
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