Thinking About IVF? Think About Fertility Acupuncture First

Are You Wondering Whether To Support IVF With Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an amazing therapy to use to support IVF. It can help you to prepare for IVF and help to support you both physically and emotionally through the IVF process.

If you have already started IVF, or are due to start imminently the main focus of my treatment would be to support you emotionally, to keep your stress hormones in check and to keep your general vitality levels up - the IVF hormones take care of follicle stimulation and the endometrium thickening.

Having a good working relationship with your acupuncturist can be a huge help through the ‘two week wait’, you will find acupuncture can really help to soothe your nerves and keep your stress level under control. It keeps you calm and encourages your body to behave appropriately to implantation and potential early pregnancy.

Not Just For Girls

It is not just women who can benefit from front-loading their IVF with acupuncture. For men with a borderline sperm test, a course of acupuncture over 2 months prior to IVF can boost sperm quality to the point that ICSI is no longer necessary. ICSI has been shown to increase the risk of male offspring inheriting the father's fertility issues so it is good to avoid ICSI if it is possible to do so.

Emotional Support, Whatever the Outcome

If you have to face recurrent implantation failure, have to deal with the shock of an ectopic pregnancy or struggle through miscarriage, your acupuncturist can help to support you. As well as helping you to physically adapt and cope with what is happening, acupuncture can be incredibly supportive for the emotional pain that is part and parcel of a difficult fertility journey. We eat the right diet, take the recommended the supplements, go for all the required blood tests and scans, repeatedly inject ourselves – these are all things that can help with the physical side of infertility. However it is more difficult to work out what we can do to ease the emotional impact of fertility struggles, but I would urge you to find an acupuncturist that you can connect to, and who would be able to help you through.

So When is the Best Time to Start Fertility Acupuncture . . . ?

It is never too soon to start, but if you want to take full advantage of the benefits of acupuncture to support IVF, I believe it is important to start having regular treatment at least 3 months before you are due to go for your IVF cycle. That timeframe give me the best chance to make significant improvements to your overall health and to your fertility. In many cases, this is enough to bring fertility to point where IVF is no longer necessary, but in cases where it is, the preparation time can make such a difference to the way you can cope with it both physically and emotionally.

Eggs take at least 3 months to go through the later phase of maturity, and up to a year if you consider the time it takes to slowly come out of storage in the ovary. Taking this into account, when I am asked when it would be good to start fertility acupuncture, I would say sooner rather than later. NOW is always the best time to start!

If you would like to find out more, or discuss your situation with me, please get in touch.