Improve IVF Success with Acupuncture

Many couples facing challenges with fertility, individuals choosing to solo conceive or egg freeze have turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture to increase their chances of success while undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

Traditional Chinese Medicine and IVF

TCM combines acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to positively impact various reproductive health before, during and after your IVF to significantly improve your success rates.

"In clinical observation, ultrasounds show that after acupuncture, the color of women's ovaries change from cloudy to bright and clear, the follicles usually double in number, the lining of the uterus becomes thicker and the number of embryos increases significantly."

~Lifang Liang (OMD, LAc & Author of Acupuncture and IVF)

How TCM Improves the Success Rate of IVF

The main objectives incorporating acupuncture and/or herbal medicine to your IVF preparation are to:
1. Improve ovarian function and egg quality

2. Regulate hormones to produce a large number of follicles

3. Increase blood flow to the uterus to increase the thickness of the uterine lining

4. Deeply relax the patient

5. Prevent uterine contractions

6. Mediate the side effects of the IVF medications 

7. Enhance implantation of the embryo

8. Reduce chance of miscarriage

When to Have Acupuncture Treatments for IVF

I recommend patients start treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine 2-3 months before a planned IVF to regulate reproductive functions. Research shows these treatments improve IVF success. 

However, if you are just starting your IVF or are going for an embryo retrieval soon, acupuncture is still beneficial to improve success. 

I  set a plan for each individual depending on what needs support for them, but generally, my guidelines for IVF acupuncture support are;

Preparing for IVF

~3 Months Before (3X/cycle) - after the period, before the ovulation & between the ovulation & period

~6 Weeks Before Retrieval  (1X/week) - during the period, after the period, before the ovulation, between the ovulation & period

Before Retrieval of Eggs

~just before retreival (within 24 hours) to support calming the nervous system & supporting egg retrieval

Before & After Embryo Transfer
~just before and just after the transfer (within 24 hours)

~before to support calming the nervous system, softening the cervix and priming the uterine lining to receive the embryo
~after to calm the nervous system and orienting the embryo towards implantation

After IVF

~3-5 days after the transfer to support implantation

A German study found that using acupuncture with IVF achieved a 42% clinical pregnancy rate in the test group, compared to 26% in the control group..

Compassionate & Experienced IVF Support

I am so honoured to have supported 100's of IVF patients over the past 19+ years. I always combine acupuncture points shown in research to improve success rates with points for each patients constitution to provide individualized & effective care. It is always so exciting when sometimes, after 2-3 months of TCM care, a patient's menstrual cycle regulates and they become pregnant naturally or they get a great number of healthy embryos from a reteival and then a subsequent pregnancy.

Jen Cherewaty

BSc, RAc, RTCMP

Fertility & Women's Health

Vancouver & North Vancouver