acupuncture and Chinese herbal meds for fertility

[Panda1983]

Hey 👋 I just wondered if anyone has had and would acupuncture for fertility? And if anyone that had it also had the herbal remedies alongside the needling? Would you recommend either?

Been TTC for 19 months, tracking my temperature daily, LH tests, ovulation is regular as is my cycle in general.
Legs up the wall? Tick. Stopped drinking? Tick. Exercising more and eating healthily. Tick. Taking supplements? Tick. Doing everything we possibly can. Yesssssss. Lol.

Someone suggested acupuncture and I had a session the other day to try it out. It was unusual and not overly relaxing during the session but I felt relaxed afterwards. The acupuncturist has now recommended 2 sessions a week (£65 a session) plus complementary herbal medicine which basically results in almost £700 a month.

I so badly want to be pregnant I am tempted but that is SO much money to me and wouldn't be sustainable for longer than a couple of months. I really don't want that money to go to waste and would love to know if anyone else has had acupuncture, with our without traditional herbs, did it work and any other details you're willing to share.

I should say that I have seen the doc, had tests and been told I have unexplained fertility as everything seems to function but I'm just not falling.

Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers!

Hey, I'm in my 13th month TTC and I have just started acupuncture. I had my first session around ovulation and my second session around implantation. She has recommended one session a week. She hasn't recommended any Chinese medicine yet.

I really enjoyed it so I'd be interested to hear peoples experiences too. 😊

I also can't help I'm afraid @panda1983, but have been looking into this so interested to hear if any one has any positive experience. Sorry to hear you've been trying for so long (and doing everything right!), TTC is so much harden than anyone lets on! X

*harder (not harden 🤦🏼‍♀️)

I had acupuncture with my IVF and it worked first time.

@SerendipitySunshine Did you just have needles or the herbal medicines too?

Hi, apologies probably not got much to offer but I’ve just had an ERPC and I will be going for some acupuncture to get all my body balanced, more regular cycles and then obv for TTC. I can let you know once I have had a session

Just the needles. I'm a bit wary of the medicines and the ethics of where they get them from. The acupuncture was great. Mine was much cheaper than that though - about £30 a session I think.

I had it too, and it worked, but again, just the needles, once a week, and it was much cheaper, but I'm up north so that might be why. I also took DHEA and COQ10 supplements.

I’ve just booked in my first session for next week Thursday. £75 which is quite a bit but I’m thinking it’s better than the £120 you’d pay for a massage at a spa. So I will give it a try. Not sure I’d try the medicine but def the needles

That sounds really expensive per session - I pay £38 per one hour session (not for fertility). The herbs sound really expensive as well- unless you’re having treatment in Knightsbridge I’d look at some other providers. In London Sarah Moon used to be a gynae expert (not sure if she still practices) and Caitlin Allen in Leeds is v respected

@HermioneWeasley was it Sarah moon in London? The one I’m going to is near Canary Wharf which is close to where I live and the therapist is Zita West trained

@Panda1983 a lady on another thread said she had it once a week until O then not during the TWW with a traditional Chinese medicine acupuncturist. Looking online cost is £50-£75 where I live x

God that's expensive. I did acupuncture, it didn't 'work' though I only did it for a couple of months and I stopped after that.

I didn't like how it made me feel, I didn't enjoy the procedure and it felt like a lot of money, though it was nowhere near as much as you're thinking of spending.

It's all a bit random, what 'worked' for me in the sense of what I did the month I conceived was free- I did yoga with Adrienne every day for a month, and that was the cycle I conceived.

It's really tough OP, my honest feeling is that a certain percentage of people will get pregnant eventually no matter what but it may take them time, a certain percentage have a small thing that sightly throws their cycle off kilter and and maybe the supplements/acupuncture/exercise etc will be the thing that fixes it but it's almost impossible to know. I recommend two books that helped me feel as though I had some control and a plan: Toni weishlers taking charge of your fertility and it starts with the egg.

I'd also recommend making sure your other half is putting in effort too- exercise, alcohol, weight loss, whatever could help. Too much of the time women are turning themselves into pin cushions while their husbands take no steps at all but it's all 50/50.

If you haven't, I'd spent some of the money on tests rather than acupuncture and herbs, it's a bit of a shot in the dark for no guarantee.

I also had treatment the day before egg collection, and after transfer. I have no idea if that was why it worked first time, but it didn't do any harm anyway.

And sorry OP I know you said you've had tests but you didn't mention if your other half did too. And finally, I really don't want to stray into the territory if telling you to relax because that drives me crazy but I think for me I really hadn't been taking care of myself holistically- I was fairly burned out but still doing the supplements/acupuncture/temping etc etc.

I think starting to nourish yourself in the sense of, say, going somewhere beautiful for a weekend, eating food that is good for you and delicious rather than just focusing on nutrients that are good for ttc can be really valuable. I didn't do too well at that but ultimately I had a lovely Christmas with visiting friends I don't see too often and a few girlie dinners and some walks in a beautiful nature park followed by a January of daily yoga and I do think it all had some influence.

@Firevie I saw Sarah Moon decades ago and she was in West London then, but she may have moved in 25+ years!

I had Accupuncture for fertility. Weekly for four weeks then fortnightly (I think, can't remember that well). Didn't need much more as fell pg first cycle after starting (started after O but before period, fell the next cycle IYSWIM). No herbs or teas etc, although my friend was recommended this alongside it by hers.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated