When to get acupuncture treatment during IVF
On this page
1. Overview
Acupuncture has been shown in research to normalise hormone levels, reduce stress and anxiety. Acupuncture increased blood flow to the uterus and can aid with implantation of the embryo into the uterus wall and increase success rates of IVF. It can also reduce the chances of having a miscarriage.
Clinical trials have proven the effectiveness of acupuncture during IVF. Those that received acupuncture when compared to the control group had an increase in live births.
2. Before your IVF cycle
Based on new research it is best to have acupuncture treatment at least 9 times before your embryo transfer. It's been shown to improve pregnancy rates in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) fertility treatment. Some fertility clinics recommend having acupuncture during IVF treatment.
You can have acupuncture once a week leading up to your embryo transfer, so 9 weeks before transfer. During this time you can also optimise your lifestyle and diet to further improve your live birth rate.
3. Start of IVF
Once your IVF cycle starts, if you are having a long IVF cycle, where you are down0regulated, it's best to have acupuncture weekly until you start ovarian stimulation.
When you start taking fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to grow lots of eggs, it's ideal to have acupuncture twice a week until embryo transfer.
4. During embryo transfer
When you have your embryo transferred back into your uterus, it is ideal to have treatment just before and after the transfer, ideally on the day of the transfer.
Once you've had your embryo transferred, I would recommend having 2 sessions before you take your pregnancy test.
