Acupuncture protocol for IVF treatment
Acupuncture is an amazing support for women undergoing trough the journey of IVF treatment. This article will explain in detail why it is a great way to maximize chances of successful IVF and what’s the best way to do it.
Women
For patients undergoing IVF, acupuncture treatment leading up to your retrieval is intended to balance your hormones and increase nourishing blood flow to your uterus and ovaries. The pre-transfer treatment is designed to focus on and improve the health of your ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. In addition to improving the quality of your eggs and ovaries, acupuncture also helps your uterine lining.
We recommend that patients follow the female acupuncture protocol for at least 12 weeks prior to starting IVF treatment. This amount of time helps to increase the chances that the egg and resulting embryo are healthy and that the body can receive the embryo and sustain a successful pregnancy.
Experts suggest that patients follow a treatment cycle similar to the protocol below during ovulation induction treatment and leading up the IVF cycle:
First Acupuncture Session: during the follicular phase (usually days 1-14 of your cycle)
Second Acupuncture Session: during ovulation (on or around day 14 of a normal cycle)
Third Acupuncture Session: during the luteal phase (after ovulation, usually lasting 12- 14 days)
Fourth Acupuncture Treatment: during menstruation
This regimen is repeated, ideally for three months until you enter your fertility treatment cycle.
The specific acupuncture protocol we recommend during your IVF cycle is described below:
Treatment One: after heavy flow of menstruation
Treatment Two: before egg retrieval
Treatment 3 & 4: Immediately before and after embryo transfer.
Treatment Five: 3-5 days after embryo transfer
Men
Acupuncture can help to improve sperm quality. Since sperm take approximately 90 days to develop, we recommend that men begin weekly acupuncture treatment at least 3 months before trying to conceive. Many men continue acupuncture treatment beyond their fertility protocol to manage stress throughout the entire pregnancy process and beyond.