Acupuncture for Infertility, IUI / IVF Acupuncture, and Male Factor Infertility
Acupuncture can increase your chances of success. Whether you are trying to conceive naturally or are undergoing an IVF or IUI cycle, acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been helping people with infertility for hundreds of years.
Benefits of Infertility Acupuncture
Just recently, many clinical trials have been able to confirm that acupuncture helps to treat infertility. The trials demonstrated a significant increase in pregnancy rates with the use of acupuncture. Acupuncture has been shown not only to enhance pregnancy rates but was also found to improve semen quality (specifically morphology and motility) as well. Since the health and vitality of a developing embryo takes both healthy eggs and healthy sperm, acupuncture is a great adjunct to add to help you achieve optimal reproductive health.
For Her:
• Improve ovarian function to produce higher quality eggs
• Regulate hormonal balance to produce a larger amount of follicles
• Increase uterine blood flow and thicken uterine lining
• Reduce medication side effects
• Prevent uterine contractions post IVF embryo transfer
• Decreasing chance of miscarriage
• Supporting health and balance during pregnancy
• Help with stress and relaxation
For Him:
• Improve sperm count, morphology, and motility
• Reduce sperm DNA fragmentation
• Help with stress and relaxation
• Treat pain or other urological health concerns
• Support health and balance
Frequently Asked Questions about Infertility Acupuncture
The typical acupuncture protocol consists of 10 – 15 sessions given over a three-month period of time. Herbal medicine is taken daily for at least three months. Other factors such as age, health, medical history or if you have had previous fertility treatments may determine a shorter or longer treatment time.
We work with many local Ob/Gyn offices and fertility clinics. We will coordinate care depending on your treatment schedule with your physician’s office. For specific timing please see below in our treatment schedule section. If you are coming for general preconception acupuncture, we will see you weekly for one complete menstrual cycle and then determine the best timing for acupuncture support.
We have all different treatment options for men. Sometimes we just see them for one visit only on the day of their donation or just before their partner’s ovulation. Other times if there is a complicating factor such as significant morphology or motility issues we recommend treatment once a week for 1-2 months.
A woman’s eggs are recruited at least 100 days before they are ovulated. This means that the quality of your eggs in any given cycle is determined during the 3-6 months before that cycle. Three months allows us to have adequate time for your treatments and healthier life style habits to take affect and to provide the best environment for the eggs and sperm.
Yes! From the Chinese medicine way of analyzing and evaluating the body there is usually an imbalance that can be addressed and help toward the goal of conceiving even when there is no western medicine explanation.
There are many great ways to optimize fertility and enhance your overall health. We will go over additional risk factors, diet and lifestyle changes, mind-body techniques, acupuncture and herbal formulas for balancing hormones and boosting your health and well being. You can also go to our Resources page for other local specialists and information on infertility.
Treatment Schedule
There are different acupuncture treatment options and support plans to designed to help you. Below is a list of possible options and suggested timing for each. After your initial visit we will discuss what we feel would be the most successful plan to achieve your reproductive goals.
- Preconception Treatment Program
- Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer
- Acupuncture before and during the medication phase of IVF
- Acupuncture three days after egg collection if going to blastocyst (day five) embryo transfer
- Acupuncture for frozen embryo transfer (FET) including donor eggs
- Acupuncture for IUI Support
- Early Pregnancy Acupuncture
Preconception Acupuncture for Reproductive Health
Goal: Treatment to increase your health and wellness before you conceive. Chinese medicine effectively treats a wide variety of women’s health issues to optimize your fertility. If you are just starting on your fertility path or have gone through several failed IVF cycles, Chinese medicine can offer a wonderful way to enhance your reproductive health as you try again. Or if you have tried several methods and have decided you need a new pathway, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can offer you another option for treatment.
Schedule: Treatments are determined by your menstrual cycle or for specific support times during menstrual cycle phases. (for example some women need extra support at ovulation) Ideally treatment plan should be for weekly acupuncture for 3 months for optimum fertility support.
