has anyone tried acupuncture to help conception?

[RozzieR]

just wondered if it had worked for anyone - i'm thinking of trying it. i'm talking natural conception, not IVF.

Yes - I used Acu for natural .. & eventually for IVF. So you can gather from that it didn't work for me on the natural (though I'm now, finally, expecting after 3.5 yrs of ttc )

I did learn a lot (and also drank some of the most revolting herb teas - bleugh!).

The thing I found most useful... in hindsight, was that there are many generalist acus and very few that are truly specialist in fertility (despite what they say - I feel I may have wasted time and money with acu generalists). If you are in the london or windsor area I strongly recommend Daniel Elliot & team (he and all his colleagues were incredibly well read and specifically focussed on ttc - natural and assisted). In fact, even if you are not near London I think he may be worth a call as he may well be able to point you in the right direction in your local area)
Expect to pay c £60-£65 for first consultation and c £45 thereafter.

Hope this helps and all the best - I know how hard ttcing is
Choc x

I think that I have posted this before, but I think that acupuncture helped me conceive. We had been ttc*1 for about two and a half years with no luck (I was 35). I went for my first appointment post-O, took herbs I was prescribed, and got a BFP at the end of the month! The thing I really remember about the 2WW was how relaxed I felt, almost sleepy. I now have a DS. I agree with CD, I went to a chinese doctor who specialized in dealing with fertility problems in Edinburgh.

Anyhow my best friend who had had multiple MCs, heard of my success and thought she would give it a go, not expecting much at age 39 ttc*1. She had three months of treatment, conceived, and now has a DS 1 month old.

She has recommended the clinic to four other people she knew were having various problems ttc and all four have conceived and have either DCs or are expecting.

So as you can guess by the long post I am a bit evangelical about acupuncture and conception!!

What's the name of clinic you used, nuttysquirrel? Sounds worth a try...

Sounds like a trip to Edinburgh is well worth it, pity I'm in Australia though
After 2 dd's and 2 m/c I'm having acupuncture this coming Saturday, had it when pregnant with dd2, but thought after the 2 m/c that my body could do with some natural therapy to get it back on track again. Good luck Rozzie

thanks for all that - i have an appointment with a local clinic in a couple of weeks. though i'd be interested to find out who you saw nuttysquirrel, because i'm in that part of the world too.

and how many sessions should i expect to have? can't expect miraculous 'conceive after 1 session' scenario, but how long before you decide it's not working and start spending your money on other things?

I've been away so only just checked back on this thread. It was the Ming Chen Robertson Clinic in Leith, Edinburgh. A very nice lady called Ran. I think they have a branch in Glasgow too.

As a 'conceive after one session' person I can't really advise on how long to give it. My friend said she was going to allow six months, with a session every two weeks and herbs, in the end it took three months. It is about £45 a session.

From memory the other girls also had results before six months was up. I guess its up to you how long you are willing to do it for. My initial thought was that it would be alot cheaper than paying for a cycle of IVF, but then I suppose I didn't have to test my resolve in the end.

I had acupuncture for a year and then ended up having IVF (carried on having acupuncture throughout this and then throughout the subsequent pregnancy). The guy I saw was a specialist in fertility.

TBH I'm not sure if it helped - obviously i went for a long time with no real results but it was very relaxing and who knows if there was ultimately some benefit.

This was for a unexplained secondary infertility BTW (conceived DS1 no problem, took 3 years and course of IVF to get DS2)

if you search on acupuncture under the conception threads you'll find lots of useful posts. HTH

Ian Prytherch is an acupuncturist who specialises in gynaecology and fertility, helping women conceive both naturally and through ivf,he has helped me and has lots of other success stories. Give him a try,hes a lovely genuine guy and makes you feel totally at ease. I had been trying for a long time and am convinced my eventual success was down to him.....although obv hubby also had a part to play Ian has clinics in central london,clapham and wimbledon,you can contact him at www.balance-acupuncture.co.uk or 07816522803 xx

i had acupuncture to help regulate my periods as I wasn't ovulating. Having taken over a year to conceive ds1 without acupuncture following treatment we conceived ds2 at the 1st attempt.

Not only that, I had treatment throughout pregnancy to help with morning sickness and also to induce labour. I went into labour at spot on 40 weeks and had a 2.5 hour delivery. Not bad for a 10lb7oz baby!!

I cannot recommend acupuncture enough.

my experience similar to greenbeanie -had acupuncture after two m/c and a tx due to abnormalities. conceived dd after 3 months , had very good pregnancy thanks to acupuncture and also helped dd arrive just after dd.

also have a few friends who found acupuncture very helpful as part of ivf cycles.

but agree with chocolatedays you do need someone who knows what they are doing - a lot of them are trained via zita west (I think they are now doing clinics at neal's yard)

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Hi Another vote for Ian here. He's an amazing man. Very in tune with women's feelings and their needs.

Am currently 32 weeks pregnant with DD3, all thanks to Mr P's wonderful accupuncture. Had two m/c before seeing him and got a BFP within 2 months.

Go and see him. He's worth it . And good luck.