Massage & IVF

[jkstender]

Hi,I am in the process of completing a course in pre and post natal massage which has so far been great.  However, one of the things that came up is that massage should be avoided on a woman who is undergoing IVF treatment up until 20 weeks of pregnacy - absolutely avoided while they are undergoing treatment.  The thought behind this is that IVF pregnancies are viewed as being high risk, and that by massaging you impact their blood pressure and body temperature which may result in creating an environment that is not conducive to conception or maintaining the pregnancy.I have done some on-line research and can find nothing to support this claim.  The reason that I am particulary interested in this is that I have a client who is undergoing IVF and who feels that massage helps with relaxation in what is without a doubt a very stressful time for her.I would be very interested to hear other therapist's experiences and thoughts on this matter.  I have said to her that while she is in cycle it would be best to get her doctor's ok for massage treatments.I look forward to hearing from you!Thanks!

 

[Pompal 09.]

Emily, it's important to remember that women who undergo IVF are usually infertile.  For many possible reasons, they cannot get pregnant on their own, and many of them miscarry when they do.  Preparation for IVF is extensive, with drugs to stop estrogen production to stop ovulation, then drugs to boost estrogen production for egg retreival (which is considered surgery), and more drugs and delicate timing to make the right environment for embryo to be implanted.  IVF also doesn't always work.  And, if a woman does get pregnant, it IS usually high risk, because of infertility, and risk of miscarriage is high.  I've known many women who have used IVF, and I don't know one of them who had a smooth sailing like most women who get pregnant naturally.  A lot has to do with the individual woman. Normal, healthy, pregnant women still need special massage so we don't hurt them, or induce labor, etc.  A woman who is undergoing infertility treatments should not be touched.  What they're going through is extra delicate, and they're in constant medical care throughout the entire pregnancy.  The time for massage for them should be after the babies are born.(P.S. I also think the risk of liability is too high.  Say you have a woman who's been trying for 10 years to get pregnant, she has IVF, then a massage, and then she miscarries.  Not a good senario.)

 

[La vida es buena!]

I have a friend that is also a massage practitioner.  She just gave birth to twin boys last week.  The first time that I met her she was about 13 weeks pregnant with an IVF pregnancy.  She hadn't had problems with miscarriages, but a fertility problem with her husbands sperm.  She came to me for a massage and I've got to tell you if kind of freaked me out. I kept it pretty light and was a little uneasy about the whole thing.  She had clearance from her Ob/Gyn or I wouldn't have done it at all.  She kept up with massages all during her pregnancy, both with me and with other therapists.  I'm not saying that massage is appropriate for all women with IVF pregnancies, just that in this instance it worked out fine and she really enjoyed being able to continue her massages.  It will be interesting to see how others weigh in on this subject.             Lisa                                                  

 

[staff6]

Thanks for both of your input.  I have been trying to do some further internet research on the matter, but haven't found much so far.  However, in speaking with a few other massage therapists it seems that opinion is divided.  I did find one interesting thing - one of the peak IVF bodies does recommend massage as a stress management and diversionary tool while undergoing IVF ... by diversionary I mean that it is something to enjoy that is about the person and not about trying to get pregnant.  I think that many people find that their lives just become all about IVF and nothing else which can add to the stress which can also impact the potential success.

 

[mpleo91]

I wouldn't massage a woman undergoing IVF, even if the doctor ok'd it. As has been previously noted, there is so much going on within the woman's body during IVF treatments.  I would not want to upset that balance at all.  Certainly, it is a very stressful time and the woman may feel that massage will relax her, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is a good choice.  Alcohol might relax her too, but that isn't really a good choice for any of us to make.  There are many other means of relaxing that will not upset all the other things going on in the body at that time. Thanks for bringing this topic up.  I don't see many pregnant women so this doesn't come up often for me.  However, I never even thought to ask the woman if it was an IVF pregnancy.  Of course, when they check off that they are pregnant, I do ask if there have been any problems with the pregnancy.  It is quite possible that the preganancy is IVF and is going along okay so far, but that wouldn't necessarily mean that all is okay.  I will be adding the IVF question to my list if they check off that they are pregnant.

 

[rocknrolltrekkie]

Hi Emily,I am also divided on the issue of IVF pregnancies and massage and have not discovered a clear answer.  I think that if a woman comes to you with the belief that a massage is just the very thing to make everything better then that massage will be just the very thing she needs as the massage will unlock her innate ability to make everything better.  However, here are some reasons why not to do the massage, since there is no pat answer from the medical community... and I will add it all comes down to $$$... we are a very litigious society (assuming you live in the US) and IVF clients have spent a lot of money on trying to have and hold  a baby until full term.... due to the large financial and very emotional investment of the mom-to-be,  if she were to loose the baby after getting a massage I think a therapist is a very good target to recoup what was lost and it is so easy to point the finger at someone else.With that said because I work in a spa setting under a large corporation I err on the side of NO.   If there was a friend involved where there could be some discussion with I might change my mind.

 

[Joey]

Thanks for the posts.  I think this is one of those case by case situations ... perhaps as holmslm57 says, it can come down to the reason for undertaking IVF.  I'm not based in the US - I'm in Australia - but haven't found an equivalently good and well used local chat forum as yet ... maybe I'll have to start one!  And while I think things are going the way of litigation, my impression is that we are not yet where things are in the US.  I'm going to keep doing research so if I find anything interesting I'll post it here.