At Ruhe Fertility + Prenatal Acupuncture Center, we’re excited to include Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) as a treatment to enhance fertility. Also called cold laser therapy, LLLT uses light produced by low-level infrared lasers. Unlike high-powered lasers that can damage tissue, these cold lasers gently cause changes at the cellular level, deep within your body. The light produced by a cold laser is absorbed by your cells, which stimulates a cascade of beneficial reactions, which have an impact on the reproductive system by:

• Stimulating the cells energy-producing mitochondria, which can help repair the effects of cellular aging
• Increased DNA production and cellular ATP, a molecule that stores and transfers energy within your cells and increasing free radical detoxification
• Stimulation and balance of hormones
• Increased absorption of Co Q10 anti-oxidant, which helps offset free radical damage
• Increased blood flow
• Reduce inflammation
• Better cartilage and bone formation
• Softening and healing of scar tissue and adhesions
• Increased collagen production

How Can Cold Laser Therapy Help With My Fertility?

A number of research studies have uncovered promising results in the use of cold lasers in enhancing fertility and treating other reproductive issues. It was inadvertently discovered by a Japanese doctor who was treating a menopausal woman for back pain with low level laser therapy. During the course of treatment, the laser therapy reversed the woman’s menopause, leading the doctor and his colleagues to study the effects that cold laser therapy may have on women who were experiencing fertility problems. In their study, over 20 percent of the women who had gone through assisted reproductive techniques unsuccessfully became pregnant after laser treatments.

Subsequent research is uncovering that cold laser treatments can have a positive impact on fertility. As it:

• Improves the circulation of blood and nutrients to benefit the testes in men; and in women to the ovaries and the uterus to thicken the lining and increase ovarian receptivity
• Defends your cells against damage caused by oxidative stress (both in egg follicles and in sperm production)
• Increases your cell’s mitochondrial function and improve energy production
• Helps to decrease inflammation
• Speeds tissue repair and healing
• Eliminates recurring infections
• Softens scarring and adhesions (from infections, surgeries, and endometriosis)
• Promotes parasympathetic function, the part of your nervous system that reduces stress and promotes proper endocrine system function

Needless to say, the benefits of cold laser treatment make it an incredible healing tool for a number of situations and conditions. If you experience any of the following conditions, a series of low-level laser treatments may provide the solution to your healthcare and fertility concerns. You may benefit from cold laser treatment if you:

• Have poor egg quality due to your age
• Have low AMH indicating low ovarian reserve
• Have high levels of FSH
• Are a woman over the age of 37 and want to become pregnant
• Have responded poorly to conventional therapies
• Experience ovulatory disorders or PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
• Experience painful menses
• Have endometriosis and other pelvic inflammatory conditions
• Have a history of abdominal surgery or D&C
• Have thinning of your uterine lining during IVF cycles
• Are looking to support implantation of IVF (fresh or frozen transfer)
• Are a man experiencing low sperm count, morphology or motility

How Do Cold Laser Therapy Sessions Work?

The good news about cold laser treatments is that it’s gentle and painless. There are no side-effects associated with the treatments, and it works well when combined with other therapies, especially acupuncture.

Here’s how it works:

• Beginning on the first day of your period, the first of six laser treatments would start.
• The treatments would continue over the next two weeks until you ovulate—generally three treatments a week.
• If you’re combining acupuncture with your laser treatments, we recommend two sessions a week during those two weeks between menses and ovulation.
• When ovulation is expected, natural or assisted insemination is attempted. If you don’t conceive, another course of treatment will begin again on the first day of your next period. This cycle will continue for three to six months, which is typically the time frame in which conception occurs.

How Do Cold Laser Therapy Sessions Work for IVF?

• If you’re undergoing IVF, you would benefit the most from cold laser treatments during the three monthly cycles leading up to your IVF procedure. During the stimulation phase of your IVF, two to three treatments a week are recommended, leading up to the day before egg retrieval.
• To support post-retrieval healing, two sessions in the week after retrieval are recommended to promote faster healing, regulate inflammation, reduce swelling and relieve any pain or discomfort you may have.

How Do Cold Laser Therapy Sessions Work for FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer)?

If you’re having FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer), we recommend two to three sessions a week beginning at the start of your menses to help build the lining of your uterus. Ideally, you will have had 6-10 sessions by the time of your transfer.

At Ruhe Fertility + Prenatal Acupuncture Center, we are passionate about helping you maximize your fertility and reproductive health. We’re excited to add cold laser therapy as a way to help our patients best maximize there fertility. If you’d like to find out if cold laser therapy is right for you, please give our clinic a call.