Acupuncture to support IVF

Acupuncture treatment for 3 months before IVF gives the best results.

Your ovarian follicles take approximately 90 days to mature. Acupuncture treatment supports their healthy development. This also gives time to improve your uterus lining, both in thickness and quality.

Acupuncture for men:

Remember, you need good quality sperm and eggs to make a healthy baby. Sperm also take approximately 90 days to develop. Treating both partners will give the best possible outcome.

Acupuncture treatment before ICSI increases sperm movement, morphology (normal sperm), and fertilisation rates. It also increases very low sperm count.

We find some couples conceive naturally during this time. The happiest of outcomes!

(Zhang M et al J Huazhong Univ Tech Med Sci 22002:22(3) 238-30)
(Sitermen S Andrologia 2000 Jan 32(1):31-9)

Acupuncture during IVF is best given weekly.

Your IVF is a time of great change. Frequent acupuncture brings balance during the different phases of treatment.

• Acupuncture helps you stay calm during the down regulation.
• Improves the circulation to your ovaries and uterus during the stimulation phase.
• Reduces bloating and improves circulation to your ovaries.
• Reduces your stress at egg collection and embryo transfer.
• Improves sperm motility and semen collection.
• Increases uterine receptivity at embryo transfer
• Supports you pre-pregnancy test.

Acupuncture for embryo transfer:

Acupuncture brings your female hormones back into balance after your IVF drug regime. This assists with implantation and pregnancy.

It reduces stress at embryo transfer. A study shows women who received this acupuncture regimen achieved pregnancy 64.7%. Those without acupuncture achieved pregnancy 42.5%.

Some clinics prefer to transfer previously frozen embryos during a natural cycle. They are returned to your uterus at the right point during your cycle for implantation.

Acupuncture treatment during the weeks before transfer improves the structure of your endometrium. It significantly improves implantation and pregnancy rates.

Acupuncture before the pregnancy test:

Many IVF patients find the “two week wait” the hardest part. Acupuncture keeps your mind calm and stress hormones low. It improves thickness and circulation to your uterus and improves embryo implantation.

This can be an anxious time for many women. Acupuncture reduces stress and offers tremendous reassurance. It regulates fertility hormones, balances progesterone and supports pregnancy.

A study in China shows miscarriage was reduced in women taking specific Chinese herbs after embryo transfer during IVF.

We have Chinese herbs available to support your pregnancy.

• ‘Acupuncture can thicken the uterus lining and improve endometrial receptivity’, Randomized Controlled Trial, Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 12 Dec 2021, vol 41, no 12, pp1338-42
• ‘Effect of acupuncture on IVF-related anxiety’, Rubin, L.E. et al, Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 10 Feb 2022
• Research on acupuncture & IVF and why it can lead to increased pregnancy, YouTube talk from Dr Paul Magarelli