Supporting fertility with acupuncture has enough positive data to make it worth bringing in to your self care routine, and it can be a very helpful accompaniment to the IVF process. Studies are still conflicting, which can make it hard for the average patient to determine whether it’s worth the time and investment. I’ll speak to that below with a general overview of what some studies have shown, and what we as a practice have seen is possible for some patients when acupuncture is used as a complementary therapy while trying to conceive. Study references are listed.
Women who have struggled with irregular periods and don’t always know the timing of their ovulation can see a more regular monthly rhythm to their menstrual cycles after a few months of weekly acupuncture. This can make the ovulation window much more predictable. According to research, acupuncture seems to have an effect on gonadotropin releasing hormone, which in turn may improve ovulation rates. You can work with your practitioner to determine what rate of frequency is best in your situation to maintain cycle regularity. Note that continued acupuncture to make sure the cycle stays regular is going to be important until you conceive, though you may be able to space out sessions over time and still maintain improvement.
Studies also suggest that acupuncture may improve the quality of the uterine lining, and has also been shown to increase uterine blood flow. Healthy blood circulation supports optimal metabolic activity in the reproductive organs. For women who have conceived but then miscarried due to inadequate uterine lining, acupuncture could be beneficial.
One thing that is certain from research is that acupuncture has a calming effect on the nervous system. Stress tension and anxiety have measurable effects on the endocrine system and contribute to cellular inflammation. A stressed out, inflamed body is not optimal for a pregnancy to take place. Acupuncture has been shown to move the dial in the right direction for those factors. In our experience that alone seems in some cases to improve the chance of successful conception.
For example, in some cases it can be a straightforward as lowering high cortisol in a person suffering from chronic stress. It sounds simple enough but as most people can attest, it’s not that easy to come down from constant work pressure, tight finances or caring for older family members. Effective solutions to bring down high nervous system arousal are critically necessary to stay healthy, and to carry a pregnancy.
While the effects observed in studies of acupuncture and fertility provide interesting observations of specific hormonal and physiological changes, the studies of acupuncture and fertility are confusing. The quality of studies and the relatively small number of patients in many of in them over the past few decades make it hard to tell exactly how helpful acupuncture could be for the average fertility patient. Different studies use different methodologies, including different acupuncture points, different frequency and length of time treated, and have different criteria of who is involved in the study. Some older studies also used “placebo needles” or “sham acupuncture” as a control group, which many researchers consider to be problematic. Even placebo needles are still causing point stimulation of some kind, and are therefore not an inert control.
In our clinical experience, we have seen many successful pregnancies in our patients over the years, even in people who had gone through multiple IVF cycles without success before adding in acupuncture. It will not cause side effects and has many health benefits to recommend it (see our other blog posts) as a supportive complementary therapy on your fertility journey. For many women, struggling with infertility is deeply stressful and emotional. At minimum, acupuncture can ease the anxiety and upset, and be a soothing counterweight to the pressures and rigmarole of standard fertility treatment.
If you are suffering from PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, or irregular or painful menses, you will need to give as much support as you can to correcting these pre-existing issues. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are wonderful tools. A functional medicine practitioner to look at your labs and recommend diet and lifestyle changes can be pivotal for some patients. If there are physical obstructions like fibroids, polyps or cysts, talk to your OBGYN about their recommendations and your options. While we have had patients say that these have shrank or even gone away, there is no guarantee, and past a certain size it is unlikely they will without being removed.
Let’s not forget to make sure we’re treating the right partner in the couple! Acupuncture may improve sperm quality and counts in infertile men. There is research to support this, and anecdotally we have seen this more than once among our patients. Ideally both members of the couple wanting to conceive will commit to regular acupuncture for at least a few months.
We have seen wonderful things happen for women who have struggled in their fertility journey. We will work in partnership with you and do our very best to help, no matter the circumstances. But have reasonable expectations of what we can and can’t change. There are no guarantees with any fertility therapies, at least for now.
As a general rule, acupuncture treatment 1-2x weekly for at least three menstrual cycles is a requirement to get the ball rolling. If you are doing IVF or IUI, make sure to have acupuncture within 24 hours before and 24 hours after the procedure. Some studies show an increased rate of implantation when this is done.
References:
Amorim D, Amado J, Brito I, Fiuza SM, Amorim N, Costeira C, Machado J. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture for anxiety disorders: A systematic review of the clinical research. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 May;31:31-37. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.008. Epub 2018 Jan 31. PMID: 29705474.
Huang DM, Huang GY, Lu FE, Stefan D, Andreas N, Robert G. Acupuncture for infertility: is it an effective therapy? Chin J Integr Med. 2011 May;17(5):386-95. doi: 10.1007/s11655-011-0611-8. Epub 2011 May 25. PMID: 21611904.
Wang X, Wang Y, Wei S, He B, Cao Y, Zhang N, Li M. An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Infertile Women Undergoing in vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer. Front Public Health. 2021 Apr 20;9:651811. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.651811. PMID: 33959581; PMCID: PMC8096176.
Chen X, Tang H, Liang Y, Wu P, Xie L, Ding Y, Yang P, Long B, Lin J. Acupuncture regulates the autophagy of ovarian granulosa cells in polycystic ovarian syndrome ovulation disorder by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through LncMEG3. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Dec;144:112288. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112288. Epub 2021 Oct 13. PMID: 34653763.
Wu JM, Ning Y, Ye YY, Liu YL, Tang M, Hu S, Zhuo YY. Effects of Acupuncture on Endometrium and Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Undergoing in vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Chin J Integr Med. 2022 Aug;28(8):736-742. doi: 10.1007/s11655-022-3498-z. Epub 2022 Apr 13. PMID: 35419725.
Qi Y, Wang X, Hou S, Wu Z, Xu X, Pang C. Intracavitary physiotherapy combined with acupuncture mediated AMPK/mTOR signalling to improve endometrial receptivity in patients with thin endometrium. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2022 Oct;277:32-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2022.08.002. Epub 2022 Aug 5. PMID: 35987076.
Li M, Liu Y, Wang H, Zheng S, Deng Y, Li Y. The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Feb 2;2021:6661235. doi: 10.1155/2021/6661235. PMID: 33613685; PMCID: PMC7878089
Kucuk EV, Bindayi A, Boylu U, Onol FF, Gumus E. Randomised clinical trial of comparing effects of acupuncture and varicocelectomy on sperm parameters in infertile varicocele patients. Andrologia. 2016 Dec;48(10):1080-1085. doi: 10.1111/and.12541. Epub 2016 Jan 21. PMID: 26791438.
Martinez B, Peplow PV. Treatment of insulin resistance by acupuncture: a review of human and animal studies. Acupunct Med. 2016 Aug;34(4):310-9. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2016-011074. Epub 2016 Jun 2. PMID: 27256547.