Acupuncture for IVF

[PunnyLilacNewt]

Hi All,

Our consultant (hesitantly) recommended we try Acupuncture for our next IVF cycle. In her ancedotal evidence she has seen good results and we feel that as there is no harm we will try it.

My wife met with someone and she described the first session as setting a baseline. I.e. lots of focus on the whole body but nothing specifically on the womb area.

This may seem like a stupid question, but as someone who has no idea what Accupuncture for IVF looks like could anyone share any experiences? I cant help but think we should focus on finding someone who is focusing on blood flow to the uterus but ultimately if its just about full body relaxation and that helps my Wife... thats good too. I just worry we are missing the former and am interested in hearing if anyones accupuncture experience was more targeted at fertility? If it is supposed to be about the full body that will be great to hear too! Just wanted to verify it :)

I mean honestly there is no evidence. Infertility is such a stressful experience that you will try anything so you are very vulnerable to upselling.

But there are lots of women who feel acupuncture helped. Coincidence? The relaxation helped? It actually works? Who knows?

I trained in medical acupuncture and the points often don't bear any relationship to the body part you are trying to treat. And 2 practitioners probably won't even put a point in the same place.

However the acupuncture is probably the only enjoyable treatment in the entire process of infertility treatment which is important in itself.

I had acupuncture for fertility, it wasn't for IVF though. We'd do sessions roughly every two weeks, one shortly before ovulation and one shortly before my period was due focused on healthy blood flow to the uterus to encourage implantation. She did include some points for stress relief and calmness but that was at my request. The vast majority of the points she used were fertility related.

I got pregnant after about five sessions so it feels like something which could have contributed although that's not based on any solid evidence. Weirdly my acupuncturist knew that I'd conceived about five days before I got a positive test.

Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like there are some people who focus on relaxation and some who focus on fertility and while we prefer the latter the former would be beneficial!

Handy to know :)

@PunnyLilacNewt hi! Firstly wishing you all the luck with your next round of IVF. 🍀
I’m due to start IVF in January but I have been having weekly acupuncture sessions since beginning of September for fertility and cycle related issues (to help with spotting and thin uterus lining).
I see a Chinese Acupuncturist and was so pleased/relieved how knowledgable she is regarding IVF and fertility- I did not feel like this when I went to see my GP about such things.
I go weekly and we work on different areas depending on my cycle phrase. Each appointment she takes notes and asks me a series of questions to adjust positioning and the herbs I take.
Although, I haven’t started IVF yet, I do know she has treated people with success doing IVF due to reviews (she has been practicing for 25 yrs) and from what I have had, I’m happy to report that my spotting has drastically improved. It definitely helps me feel more in control and I just think every little helps. :)