Laughter increases success rate of in vitro fertilization, research suggests

  02 June 2016    Read: 1104
Laughter increases success rate of in vitro fertilization, research suggests
It has been 40 years since the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) was performed by doctors. During the process, the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell outside of the body and, since the discovery of the fertilization method, scientists have worked tirelessly to perfect the process.
While there is no shortage of clinical studies conducted in the laboratory, research by a team of Israeli scientists has uncovered an interesting way to increase the possibility of pregnancy after receiving IVF treatment. Their research revealed that 36.4 percent of the women who watched clown shows after receiving treatment became pregnant while only 20.2 percent of those who did not watch the show became pregnant. The research, which was published in the medical magazine Fertility and Sterility, compared the pregnancy rates of women who watched clown shows after the embryo transfer to those who did not. As part of the research, 219 women who are attempting to get pregnant via IVF treatments were observed over the course of one year. Half of the women that were observed were asked to watch a funny video, prepared exclusively for the research, 15 minutes after the embryo was transferred.

The purpose of the research was to reduce the stress levels of patients who undergo long-term fertility treatments, due to the high impact of stress on the outcome of IVF treatments. The search scientifically demonstrates that the treatment has high levels of success rates in patients whose stress levels are reduced and who are entertained by funny things such as clowns and videos that make them laugh. Due to their positive effect on the level of morale in patients, hospitals in Europe, Australia, North America and Israel have begun to employ clowns. Apart from laughter, acupuncture and hypnosis treatment received prior to embryo transfer can also boost a patient`s mood and reduce stress levels, increasing the success rate. The research emphasized that stress reduces fertility and reminds patients who want to get pregnant to protect their level of morale and fight stress.

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