Acupuncture for Fertility & Assisted Reproduction
By Jacinta Eales, Acupuncturist & Nutritionist at Vera Women’s Wellness
So you’re taking the next step in your fertility journey and have decided to start assisted reproduction.
You might be wondering what else you can do to support yourself on this journey or you may have heard other people talking about getting acupuncture when they went through their fertility journey. There’s probably a lot of questions going through your head so let me help you answer a few common ones.
1. Does acupuncture really work?
Great question! More and more research is emerging around the mechanisms of acupuncture and how it effects multiple areas of the body. Without going super science nerd on you, the best way I can explain how it works is this. When an acupuncture pin is inserted into a specific point in the body, it stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters, which then communicate with centres in our brain to regulate functions like digestion, immune responses, cardiovascular function, heart rate variability, and pain modulation.
Acupuncture also regulates the HPA axis (hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal axis) and balances the sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous systems
(HPA Axis looks after adrenals, pituitary gland, circadian rhythm, hormones like growth hormone, anti-diuretic hormone, FSH and luteinising hormone, cortisol, DHEA, adrenaline and dopamine).
(Evidence-based Acupuncture, 2021)
The Acupuncture room at Vera Women’s Wellness
2. Do acupuncture needles hurt?
Honest answer from someone who used to be quite needle-phobic is, “No, not really”. But it’s not without sensation. Sometimes you may feel a dull, pulsing sensation at the point of insertion or you may get a quick rubber-band flick like sensation. Your personal experience may vary, but overall I’d say its pretty comfortable.
3. How does acupuncture support fertility and assisted reproduction?
Now for the big question.
There have been various research studies performed around the use of acupuncture as an additional therapy in assisted reproduction. Some of the studies have been very positive, others have shown limited positive effect – i.e. the results were unclear. However, a more recent systematic review from 2016 has shown very positive results, with acupuncture improving Clinical Pregnancy Rates in women undergoing IVF.
Another study published in 2019 found that “the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on key outcomes in women with low ER (endometrial receptivity) is statistically significant”. Which is science talk for “it’s a safe treatment that produces the positive result of improving the ability of the endometrium to successfully attach the blastocyst, to nourish it and keep it alive.”
(Blastocyst = An embryo that has developed for five to seven days after fertilisation)
Results showed that acupuncture may improve pregnancy rates, embryo transfer rates, increase trilinear endometrium and thicken endometrium 🤰 👶 (more large scale, long term RCTs are needed in this area)
(Zhong et al., 2019)
4. When should I get acupuncture if I’m starting IUI or IVF?
This is a harder question to answer as no two situations are the same. Not only are there differences in each individuals health but also availability of time and finances. With that being said, I’ll give my very general recommendation. (Please speak with a practitioner about your individual situation).
Ideally, if you know you are going to start assisted reproduction (AR) down the track, I’d suggest beginning your acupuncture treatment plan approximately 3 months prior. Usually, after I’ve seen a patient for a few consecutive weeks, depending on their TCM diagnosis I then transition them to a fortnightly treatment plan until AR begins.
Next in the treatment cycle is to begin acupuncture 1-3 days from commencing the ovarian stimulation drugs. In this phase it is ideal to treat twice weekly until trigger shot.
Most research on acupuncture during AR is on the day of embryo transfer. A treatment either before or after transfer is recommended. It all depends on what works best for your schedule.
After transfer we aim for at least 1 treatment in that two week wait window.
And then we wait until pregnancy is (hopefully) confirmed.
(Disclaimer: the above treatment guidelines are suggestions only. They are based on clinical experience and attending professional development seminars. Evidence-based research in this area is still needed)
References:
- https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-scientific-evidence/
- Zhong et al, 2019, Acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Szmelskyj, I., Aquilina, L., Szmelskyj, A. and Maciocia, G., n.d. Acupuncture for IVF and assisted reproduction.
