Acupuncture And Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a frustrating condition characterized by elevated androgens, insulin resistance, and cysts on the ovaries. The dysfunctional hormone levels associated with PCOS can make ovulation a struggle. And, to add insult to injury, they can also contribute to weight gain, acne, hair loss, and hirsutism. If you’re struggling with PCOS symptoms, it can do a number on your self-esteem. Over the years, we’ve relied on acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome, and it’s made a huge difference for our clients.

Acupuncture has regulating effects on sex hormones, normalizing abnormal menstrual cycles and supporting healthy metabolism. Women with PCOS should consider adding acupuncture to their treatment protocol to enhance their results. 

Acupuncture regulates the menstrual cycle

If you have PCOS, then chances are, your periods are unpredictable. Your cycles may be too long or too short. They may be too heavy or too scanty. You may have spotting in between periods. And your periods can change from one cycle to the next. This is all due to underlying hormonal imbalances, particularly dysfunctional testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone levels.

When androgens, or male hormones, are high, this leads to a decrease in progesterone. Low progesterone results in relative estrogen dominance, which can contribute to heavy, painful, and frequent periods. That said, it’s not unheard of for women with PCOS to struggle with estrogen deficiency, either. Every case is unique — but acupuncture can be used to treat them all!

Many of our clients have been able to successfully overcome their painful periods, irregular cycles, and PMS, in spite of their PCOS diagnosis, with the help of regular acupuncture sessions. And if you’re having trouble getting your period at all, acupuncture can help you, too.

Regardless of which type of hormonal imbalance you’re currently dealing with, acupuncture can help restore normal estrogen and progesterone levels. Acupuncture has an adaptogenic effect on hormone levels, regulating the pituitary gland and the endocrine system as a whole, to promote healthy menstrual cycles. 

How does acupuncture improve fertility in women with PCOS?

Acupuncture is gentle yet highly effective, and it has the potential to benefit anyone who’s trying for a baby. Whether you’re over 40 and looking to support reproductive health or in the midst of IVF treatments, acupuncture can help. As for women struggling with PCOS, acupuncture can improve fertility in several ways.

To begin with, acupuncture has a normalizing effect on hormone levels. Women with PCOS typically present with abnormal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. FSH and LH play an integral role in ovulation, with both hormones encouraging the production and release of an egg.

If FSH and LH levels are too high or too low, it can make ovulation impossible. Fortunately, acupuncture has shown that it has the ability to bring both of these hormones back into balance, significantly improving fertility in women with PCOS.

Acupuncture has long been used to treat anovulation, and not just in women with PCOS. Stress can also inhibit ovulation by disrupting the pituitary gland, which is responsible for signaling the ovaries to release an egg. Because acupuncture can be used to manage stress naturally, this is another way that it can be used to support fertility.

Can acupuncture improve insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS?

In addition to infertility, women with PCOS also tend to struggle with insulin resistance, which can lead to weight gain, acne, and hair loss, as well as energy issues. Constantly fighting your metabolism can feel like trying to roll a boulder uphill. It can seem impossible at times, and leave you feeling hopeless about your weight loss endeavors. Of course, it’s also possible to be insulin resistant if you’re of a normal weight, or even underweight. These cases are called “lean PCOS”.

If you’re dealing with high insulin levels and/or insulin resistance as a consequence of your PCOS, then you’ll be happy to learn that acupuncture can give you relief for this pesky symptom, too! Research shows acupuncture has the ability to resensitize the body to insulin.

In addition to boosting weight loss, getting your insulin levels under control will also help address the acne, hirsutism, and elevated androgen levels that PCOS causes. And, if you’re a woman with PCOS who’s trying to get pregnant, reining in insulin levels will make ovulation much easier, increasing your chances of getting pregnant.

At Integrative Healing Arts, we’ve also made use of herbal medicine to help our PCOS patients improve their metabolisms. Certain herbal formulas can be used to regulate blood sugar and get insulin under control. Correcting underlying imbalances with the help of TCM is a great way to begin your weight loss journey with PCOS (but, please note, this should only be attempted under the guidance of an expert herbalist). 

How often should you get acupuncture for PCOS symptoms?

Whether you were just diagnosed with PCOS today, or have been struggling with this life-changing condition for years, it’s never too early or too late to start acupuncture for PCOS.

When a new patient comes into our clinic, we recommend they start with a minimum commitment for 3 cycles (12 weeks) and receive acupuncture treatments once or twice weekly during that time. We take a holistic approach that includes guidance with dietary and supplements and can include herbal formulas.

PCOS is a metabolic and complex condition that is best addressed with a holistic and personalized plan. One size fits all approach to PCOS is not effective. Some patients require additional treatments after their initial course. At the end of your first round of sessions, we’ll reevaluate your response and determine the best path forward.

It’s worth noting, too, that acupuncture isn’t the only tool that we have at our disposal to help women with PCOS overcome their symptoms. Chinese herbal blends can be useful in certain cases, to help rebalance hormone levels and bring the body, mind, and soul back into alignment.

Chronic stress can trigger PCOS symptoms, leading to intense flare-ups. We advise many of our PCOS patients to consider deep tissue massages as part of their self-care routine, to release pent-up tension. We can also make a few dietary recommendations and lifestyle changes to help you create a wellness plan that allows you to get your condition under control and take charge of your health.

Book your first appointment today!

Many clients come to our clinic feeling lost and overwhelmed by their PCOS symptoms. We love watching them change for the better as they progress through their customized treatment protocols — and we would be thrilled to help you, too!

Get in touch with our office today to book your first appointment. At Integrative Healing Arts, we make it our mission to help every woman restore and maintain hormonal balance so they can achieve total health and wellness.

Can Acupuncture Affect Ovulation?

If you’re struggling to conceive, you know it’s all about healthy ovulation. However, healthy ovulatory cycles can be a difficult thing to achieve. Ovulation too early or too late in your cycle can be a major contributing factor to infertility. Some women struggle with anovulatory cycles, meaning they don’t ovulate at all. In these cases, you probably think it would take a miracle to restore your fertility. Acupuncture has long been used to help women overcome their fertility struggles and finally get pregnant. But can acupuncture affect ovulation, and if so, how?

Acupuncture normalizes menstrual cycles, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs and enhancing ovarian activity. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate healthy ovulation and even improve egg quality, boosting your chances of getting pregnant.

How does acupuncture improve ovulation?

The great thing about acupuncture is that it’s adaptogenic. It supports your body on multiple levels to promote healing, no matter what the underlying cause of your ovulation troubles.

If you’re currently ovulating, but ovulating too early or too late in your cycle, acupuncture can help bring everything back into balance by normalizing your hormone levels. Acupuncture has been shown to have a regulatory effect on progesterone and estrogen levels, helping your body achieve ovulatory menstrual cycles that are just the right length, between 28 and 32 days. 

This is fantastic news for women dealing with hormonal conditions like PCOS. This complex syndrome is associated with sex and stress hormone imbalances that can lead to dysfunctional cycles and ovulation issues. Acupuncture can be tremendously helpful for these women in particular.

But this is also good news for women struggling with anovulation. Women who experience anovulatory cycles may still menstruate, but their ovaries do not release an egg. No egg means no chance of pregnancy. Fortunately, because acupuncture increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, it stimulates ovarian activity and, consequently, egg production.

Research shows that regular acupuncture sessions don’t just result in an uptick in ovarian activity. Acupuncture also increases ovarian reserve and enhances egg quality, which can also help you conceive. 

Acupuncture supports fertility in other ways, too!

Acupuncture has a direct impact on your reproductive health, but it can also improve your fertility in several other roundabout ways. For instance, acupuncture can help sensitize your body to insulin.

Many women, including those suffering from PCOS, have trouble getting pregnant because they’re insulin-resistant. Elevated levels of insulin essentially block ovulation. Acupuncture supports metabolic health and restores your body’s ability to use insulin efficiently, thereby improving ovulation.

Interestingly, the immune system also plays an important role in fertility. An overactive immune system can prevent conception, and can even lead to miscarriage. This makes supporting your immunity and general wellness even more important if you’re trying to get pregnant.

And let’s talk about stress, too. High cortisol can be a huge stumbling block on your path to better fertility. But because acupuncture has a calming effect on the mind and body, it can help resolve your stress-related ovulation issues and increase your chances of getting pregnant naturally.

How often should you get acupuncture to restore healthy ovulation?

 A single acupuncture session can do your body a world of good. But if you want to establish healthy menstrual cycles and promote ovulation, you’ll need ongoing treatments to correct your underlying fertility issues. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, each patient who comes to our clinic receives personalized care. We recommend our patients start with a minimum commitment of 3 menstrual cycles (12 weeks) and receive weekly or twice weekly acupuncture treatments during that time. 

Anovulation and/or poor ovarian function are multifaceted fertility issues that can result from a variety of underlying causes. We've found that using acupuncture throughout a 12-week timeframe is often enough to help the body rebalance and regulate. Getting acupuncture for a minimum of 3 cycles gives your body a chance to recover and "remember" how to function as it should. 

That said, each woman is unique and may need more comprehensive acupuncture sessions to restore and regulate their ovulation. So, at the end of your initial 12-week course of treatments, we'll evaluate your progress and reassess your treatment protocol to determine the best way to proceed. We may also incorporate additional therapies to enhance your results.  

What else can you do to support your fertility?

If you want to boost your fertility, and you want to do so naturally, acupuncture is a great first step. But there are other things you can do to support your reproductive health. You can only be as healthy as your habits. So when it comes to supporting your reproductive health take a closer look at your diet and lifestyle. 

Getting eight hours of sleep every night, an hour or two of exercise every day, and enjoying a variety of fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean proteins will support your health from the inside out (and be sure to round out your diet with these incredible fertility superfoods!).

Stress management is also critical. Chronic stress can block ovulation and contribute to hormonal imbalances that can last for years if left unaddressed. Whether your stress management plan involves journaling, taking up yoga, or getting a weekly massage is up to you. But this self-care step is essential if you’re trying to enhance your fertility.

We often utilize Chinese herbal medicine as well. Several herbs can be used to restore ovulation. Like acupuncture, these potent substances work with the body to enhance fertility naturally. Herbal blends can be the linchpin in a fertility support protocol, but because these herbs are so powerful, it’s important to only use them under the guidance of an experienced herbalist. 

Get in touch with Integrative Healing Arts today!

Ovulation issues can be complex and challenging, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to treat. At Integrative Healing Arts, we’ve helped countless women overcome their fertility issues, and we’ll be there to help you achieve your dreams of pregnancy, too.

Whether you’re trying to ovulate naturally or with the help of Western medicine, acupuncture can be used to improve your reproductive health. We’ll work with you to create a personalized fertility protocol that supports you before, during, and after pregnancy.

Contact our office today to learn more about our fertility support services. We’ll help you book your first appointment so you can get started and reclaim your fertility.

7 Chinese Herbs For Fertility Over 40

Many women over the age of 40 believe that they won’t be able to get pregnant on their own. But at Integrative Healing Arts, we’ve helped many mothers get pregnant, even over the age of 40. When you support your body’s overall health, this enhances fertility naturally. There are a number of alternative therapies that we rely on to help women over 40 conceive, including acupuncture and massage. But these 7 Chinese herbs for fertility over 40 can work wonders, too!

Customized protocols including traditional Chinese herbs like Fu Ling, Bai Shao, and Yu Mi Cao, can address menstrual irregularities, optimize egg quality, and enhance ovulation naturally in women over 40. 

Why do women over 40 struggle with infertility?

As we age, our hormone levels decline. Female sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, begin to fall, and this can disrupt your fertility. By the time many women reach their forties, they’ve entered perimenopause. 

Knowing that your biological clock is ticking can be stressful, and, unfortunately, stress does nothing to help you conceive. Feeling worried and anxious all the time can make getting pregnant on your own seem impossible. 

Of course, it’s not impossible. There are thousands of women over the age of 40 who have conceived and had healthy pregnancies and beautiful babies on their own. How are they able to do it? By reducing stress and taking measures to support their fertility. 

We rely on a number of therapies to help women manage their stress levels and realign their mental, physical, and spiritual health. We address every facet of your health to improve your chances of getting pregnant on your own — and Chinese herbs play a huge role in our game plan.

What are the best Chinese herbs for fertility over 40?

Age plays a role in determining a woman’s fertility level. Some things are just beyond our control. But other factors that influence fertility, including diet and lifestyle choices, are within our control. 

Creating a fertility support plan that supports your overall health is key to getting pregnant over 40. Chinese herbal medicine acts as the cherry on top of the sundae, the linchpin of your fertility and wellness program to help you get pregnant on your own. 

Huang Qi (Astragalus)

Sometimes called milkvetch, Huang Qi strengthens the immune system and reduces systemic inflammation that can be caused by a poor diet, seasonal allergies, and, of course, stress. 

Huang Qi is adaptogenic in nature, meaning it supports your body’s ability to regulate and heal itself. Because Huang Qi is so effective at improving stress tolerance and promoting a sense of calm, it can be invaluable for improving fertility, especially when used with other herbs.

Yi Mu Cao (Chinese Motherwort)

This herb stimulates the blood and is used to treat a variety of gynecological issues. Many women, regardless of age, experience menstrual irregularities. If you struggle with PMS, menstrual cramps, swelling, and irregular periods, Yi Mu Cao can help. 

If your menstrual cycles are too long, too short, excessively heavy, or scanty and light, all of these things indicate that your fertility is suffering. 

We use Yi Mu Cao to help regulate a woman’s cycles, which can dramatically improve your chances of conceiving after 40.

Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis)

For women struggling with ovulation issues, whether it’s anovulatory cycles or an underlying gynecological condition, like uterine fibroids, Dong Quai can be used to promote healthy ovulation. 

Not only does Dong Quai help your body ovulate normally, but it also supports egg quality by increasing blood flow to the reproductive system and supporting healthy hormone levels. 

Fu Ling (Poria)

Another important aspect of fertility is detoxification. 

Toxins hinder your body’s ability to function properly. If you’re overloaded with toxins, your endocrine system will take the hit. Since the endocrine system is responsible for producing hormones, your reproductive health can suffer, too.

Fu Ling helps oxygenate the blood and get things moving, so your body can clear out waste products and control inflammation. 

Because Fu Ling stimulates blood flow, it’s excellent for treating heavy menstrual cycles and other irregularities that may be contributing to your infertility. 

Bai Shao (White Peony)

Fu Ling is often paired with Bai Shao to treat infertility. This herb enhances reproductive health by supporting the liver. 

Bai Shao is highly effective when it comes to detoxing. This herb also improves blood flow, fighting stagnation that can contribute to heavy menses, clotting, and other menstrual issues. 

In a 2012 review, Bai Shao was found to increase aromatase activity to turn testosterone into estrogen. This makes it particularly useful for treating women with elevated androgen levels, including those who struggle with PCOS. 

Man Jing Zi (Vitex)

Man Jing Zi acts as a tonic to the reproductive system. Specifically, this herb stimulates the pituitary gland, allowing the body to produce more luteinizing hormone and progesterone. 

Man Jing Zi lengthens the luteal phase, the period of time between ovulation and menstruation. If your luteal phase is too short, you may have low progesterone levels. 

Overall, Man Jing Zi helps regulate hormone levels naturally to enhance your fertility and stretch your window of conception.    

Sheng Ma (Black Cohosh)

For women who are feeling stressed and suffer from painful periods, there’s Sheng Ma. This herb calms the nervous system, easing spasmodic muscles and supporting healthy, regular cycles.

Sheng Ma is often recommended to women who suffer from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). 

In one study, which involved 98 women over the age of 35 with PCOS, 34.8% of the group that was treated with Sheng Ma achieved successful pregnancy, while only 17.2% of the control group was able to do so.  

Always seek professional guidance when using Chinese Herbal Medicine

At Integrative Healing Arts, we rely on Chinese herbal blends to help women overcome their infertility and improve their reproductive health.

That said, herbs can be incredibly powerful, and can exert different effects on different people. 

Every woman is different, and we strongly advise against using herbs without professional guidance. Choosing the wrong herbs, or even using the right herbs for too long a time, can worsen your condition. 

If you’re interested in using herbs to restore your fertility, seek out professional guidance first and work with an experienced, trained herbalist to determine which formulas will work best for you. 

Booking your first appointment

When you book your first appointment with Integrative Healing Arts, you can be confident that you’ve taken the first step to improving your fertility. 

During your visit, Tsao will listen to your history, health concerns, and fertility goals, and help you create a plan that supports you on your path to pregnancy. 

Trying to conceive can be stressful, no matter what age you are. If you’re over 40 and struggling to get pregnant, you don’t have to take this journey alone. 

You can trust Tsao’s years of experience and wealth of knowledge to help you conceive naturally and have the baby you’ve always dreamed of. 

Using Acupuncture For Fertility Success Over 40

We’ve seen dozens of women over the age of 40 in our clinic, and many of them have been told by their doctors that they just won’t be able to conceive without the help of IVF or IUI treatments. A few rounds of acupuncture later and, boom. They’re pregnant. Acupuncture supports the body on a cellular level, normalizing hormone levels, improving egg quality, and enhancing your fertility overall. Today, we’re going to look at how using acupuncture for fertility success over 40 can help women finally conceive. 

Acupuncture regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis in women over 40 to encourage healthy cycles. It also prepares the endometrium for conception by regulating key hormones and improving blood flow to the reproductive organs. 

How can acupuncture help women over 40 get pregnant?

If you’re over the age of 40 and struggling to get pregnant, acupuncture could be the linchpin in your entire fertility plan. Acupuncture has long been used to relieve stress. That in and of itself is enough to help many women overcome their fertility struggles. Routine acupuncture sessions support neurotransmitter activity, enhancing your mood as well as your tolerance to stress.

But acupuncture does a lot more than just reduce stress. It also regulates hormone levels. Acupuncture has a modulating effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and what that basically means is that it balances your hormones naturally to support normal periods. Healthy menstrual cycles that come every 28 to 32 days are a good indicator of fertility.

Of course, just because your cycles are regular doesn’t mean that you’re ovulating. Many women fail to conceive after the age of 40 because of a decline in ovarian activity and, consequently, egg production. Acupuncture increases blood flow to the reproductive system, supporting ovarian function and even improving egg quality. 

Research shows that acupuncture also helps prepare the endometrium for implantation. It does this by regulating key hormones, specifically prolactin and progesterone, which play a crucial role in conception. All of these factors work together to improve your fertility, even after the age of 40. 

When should you start fertility acupuncture if you want to get pregnant after 40?

If you and your partner are trying to conceive, then the sooner you can start fertility acupuncture, the better. And that doesn’t just go for women over 40, that goes for every woman, no matter what her age. Acupuncture’s adaptogenic nature makes it an appropriate therapy for every mom-to-be thanks to its unique ability to support the body however it needs to be supported. 

It’s never too soon, or too late, to start acupuncture for fertility over 40. However, we typically recommend that our clients start their round of fertility acupuncture sessions 6 to 12 months before trying to get pregnant. For women over 40 who are using assisted conception treatments, you should schedule acupuncture at a minimum of 2 to 3 months before transfer. 

Whether they’re expecting or not, many of our clients come into the clinic every month for an acupuncture session. We may make adjustments to your treatments as you progress. Some patients need more acupuncture sessions, others need fewer but longer sessions. We’ll consider your unique circumstances and help guide you during your treatment. 

After successful conception, many expecting mothers over 40 choose to continue their acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is a safe and effective way to cope with the symptoms of pregnancy. Many women rely on acupuncture (and reflexology) to get them through their morning sickness. Plus, it really helps with pelvic and lower back pain. If you deal with sciatica symptoms, those can worsen with pregnancy. Acupuncture can help you find relief!

What else can women over 40 do to support fertility?

Trying to get pregnant naturally over the age of 40 can be overwhelming at times. You may feel that it’s too late in the game for you to conceive naturally, and that’s a lot of pressure to place on yourself. It’s important to make your mental health a priority. If you’re a woman over the age of 40 desperately trying to conceive, acupuncture is going to help you deal with the stress.

Aside from acupuncture, there are a few other steps you can take to enhance your fertility naturally. Adding fertility superfoods to your diet, like fish, goji berries, and yams, can boost your chances of getting pregnant. Regular exercise will also help by improving insulin sensitivity since high levels of insulin can block conception.

If you’re dealing with an underlying condition, like PCOS, endometriosis, or dysmenorrhea, addressing those issues will also go a long way toward improving your fertility. Even health problems that seem totally unrelated to fertility, like seasonal allergies and insomnia, can point to systemic issues that need to be addressed to help you get pregnant.

When supporting your fertility over the age of 40, it’s important to take your whole health into consideration. Lifestyle and dietary changes, in addition to regular acupuncture sessions, equip your body with the tools it needs to support reproductive health. We utilize all of these tactics to help women over 40 get pregnant. 

Book your first appointment today

Western medicine tells women that 40 years of age is too old to be getting pregnant without the help of fertility treatments. In our experience, that’s not necessarily true. We’ve helped countless women over 40 support their fertility naturally and welcome the babies of their dreams into their lives — all with the help of acupuncture.

Acupuncture is gentle, yet effective. You’ll leave each session feeling relaxed and empowered with the knowledge that you’re doing everything you can to support your fertility. This will help you whether you try to conceive naturally, or with the help of IVF or IUI.

You don’t have to give up on your dreams of having a baby. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how acupuncture can help you. At Integrative Healing Arts, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have. We’ll listen to your fertility goals and create a customized protocol that allows you to meet them.

Read More!

Check out my book, ‘Will I Ever Get Pregnant? The Smart Woman's Guide to Get Pregnant Naturally Over 40’ for more information on how to successfully get pregnant naturally.

When To Do Acupuncture For IVF

IVF treatments have helped countless couples finally conceive and welcome beautiful babies into their lives. But let’s not pretend that IVF isn’t a major commitment. Assisted conception can be a stressful process. Thankfully, supportive therapies like acupuncture can help tremendously. Of course, acupuncture doesn’t just alleviate stress, it also improves the success rate of IVF treatments. If you plan on starting IVF treatments soon, you may be wondering when to do acupuncture for IVF to boost your chances of conception. 

It’s never too soon to start acupuncture for IVF support. We recommend women begin acupuncture sessions at least 2 to 3 months prior to an IVF transfer. A session within 24 hours of transfer can improve your chances of implantation as well. 

When should you get acupuncture for IVF?

There really is no wrong time to start acupuncture treatments for IVF, but we always advise our clients to begin acupuncture sessions at a minimum of 2 to 3 months before transfer. This protocol is ideal for women who have otherwise regular cycles and just need a little extra help conceiving. 

But, for women who experience infertility as a result of an underlying hormonal condition, like PCOS or luteal phase defect, getting acupuncture up to a year in advance may be a better idea. The reason being that routine acupuncture sessions help normalize hormone levels. 

For women struggling with irregular cycles, acupuncture can work wonders to restore healthy menstruation. Acupuncture has a normalizing effect on estrogen and progesterone levels, lengthening short cycles and shortening long cycles. 

If your periods are coming every 26 days or less, or if you’re going 36 days or more between cycles, that’s a sign that your reproductive health could use a little extra TLC.Acupuncture increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, and mediates the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis to support cycles that are closer to the 28-day mark. 

And not only does acupuncture support healthy menstruation, but it can also help reduce period pain. Talk about impressive!

How does acupuncture support you during IVF treatments?

Research shows that acupuncture can enhance the success rate of IVF treatments. The question is, how exactly does it do so? Well, there are several reasons why acupuncture is so helpful when it comes to enhancing fertility. The first is that acupuncture sessions regulate stress hormones.

Stress hormones, particularly cortisol, can throw all of your sex hormones out of whack. If the body senses that you’re under stress, it may decide that current conditions are not ideal for a baby, and basically block conception. Acute stress is bad enough, but if you’re under chronic stress? That’s a big red stop sign that can prevent you from conceiving. 

Keeping stress in check is necessary for supporting normal menstrual cycles and healthy sex hormone levels. And because IVF treatments can be such an overwhelming process, it’s doubly important to manage your stress. So consider acupuncture a safety net for your IVF treatments.

Acupuncture also helps by increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs. This provides them with oxygen, red blood cells, and other materials they need to stay healthy and function properly. Studies show acupuncture improves ovarian function, a clear sign that it benefits fertility. Getting acupuncture in the months leading up to IVF treatments is an excellent way to prime your body for transfer, and make your uterus more receptive to it.

Should you get acupuncture after IVF?

Getting acupuncture prior to your IVF treatments is such a simple way to increase your chances of getting pregnant. But a few well-timed sessions after transfer can improve your chances of successful implantation even more. We advise our clients to schedule an acupuncture session within 24 hours of transfer. 

Acupuncture has been shown to promote embryo implantation by regulating certain hormones, including progesterone and prolactin. Both of these hormones play an integral role in conception by preparing the endometrium for implantation.

In some cases, we even recommend our clients come in very shortly afterward for another follow-up acupuncture session. A short round of acupuncture sessions post-transfer supports your body, making it more receptive to implantation. Acupuncture can help make IUI treatments more successful, too.

Following a successful IVF transfer, many women choose to continue with acupuncture treatments throughout their pregnancies. Acupuncture is a non-invasive way to ease pregnancy symptoms, and has been shown to be an effective alternative treatment for morning sickness, as well as pelvic pain and back pain. 

What else can you do to support your chances of success after IVF transfer?

Fertility acupuncture is a great first step, but it’s not the only thing that you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant. There are several other alternative therapies that we rely on to help women achieve success in their first round of IVF treatments. Depending on your situation, we may combine therapies to support your body during this process.

Aside from acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine is perhaps one of the most helpful therapies for assisting women during their IVF treatments. The right adaptogenic herbs provide your body with the support it needs to boost your fertility naturally.

In cases where stress has proven itself to be a major stumbling block to fertility, massage therapy can be especially useful. A good massage is like a sigh of relief for your whole body. Use in tandem with acupuncture, regular massages can really prep your body for pregnancy.

And you should never underestimate the power of a healthy lifestyle and diet. Adding the right superfoods to your diet is an easy way to boost your fertility naturally. Getting in some exercise — something as simple as adding a 20-minute walk to your daily routine — is also excellent for supporting reproductive health. 

Get in touch with Integrative Healing Arts today

The path to pregnancy looks different for everyone. If you’re planning on undergoing IVF treatments in the future, acupuncture can help you cope with the stress of the process, and boost your chances of a successful transfer to boot!

Contact Integrative Healing Arts today to book your first appointment, and to learn more about how acupuncture can help you on your fertility journey. We have years of experience assisting women as they begin expanding their families.

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. We treat all of our patients as individuals, so we’ll take the time to listen to your health history and come up with a support protocol that aligns with your fertility goals.