The Benefits Of Acupuncture During IVF Stimulation

Before your fertility specialist can transfer an embryo, they must first have a healthy embryo to transfer. To get a healthy embryo, your fertility specialist will use certain medications and hormones to help your body ovulate and produce more eggs for them to retrieve. This process is called IVF stimulation. The IVF stimulation process is all about encouraging your body to produce more eggs and increase viable eggs, which means supporting your fertility is paramount to success. One of the ways you can enhance egg production is by using acupuncture. But what are the benefits of acupuncture during IVF stimulation?

Acupuncture supports ovulation by increasing blood flow to the ovaries and promoting sex hormone production and balance. Studies have shown acupuncture can improve egg quality and increase egg quantity, making it an invaluable complementary therapy during IVF stimulation. 

Acupuncture supports ovarian health

One of the primary benefits of using acupuncture for fertility is its ability to increase circulation to the reproductive organs. When it comes to IVF stimulation, acupuncture can be used to direct blood flow to the ovaries, which nourishes them and supports healthy ovarian function.

Good blood flow to the ovaries is essential for ovulation. But acupuncture supports ovarian health in another way, and that is by promoting sex hormone production. Acupuncture raises estrogen and progesterone to support ovulatory menstrual cycles. It also regulates the production of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH), three hormones that stimulate ovulation and promote egg maturation.

Acupuncture is so effective that it can promote ovulation even in women who have underlying hormonal issues that make ovulation difficult. One study showed that twice-weekly acupuncture sessions for a period of 10 to 13 weeks lead to significant changes in LH pulsatility, resulting in increased ovulation in women with PCOS.

On top of all of this, acupuncture also helps reduce stress levels. When you feel overwhelmed, this tells your body to prioritize producing stress hormones over sex hormones, at the expense of your fertility. There is evidence to suggest that chronic stress can prevent ovulation, but acupuncture modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, calming the nervous system and reducing cortisol levels. 

Acupuncture can boost your ovarian reserve quality

Supporting ovulation makes the IVF stimulation process easier. But you also need to be proactive and take measures to boost your ovarian reserve. That way, your fertility specialist has more quality eggs to choose from when they retrieve them to grow an embryo for you.

If you struggle with ovulation or have been diagnosed as having a diminished ovarian reserve, you may feel like there is nothing you can do to make a difference. But acupuncture can be used to increase the quality of ovarian reserve, boosting your chances of getting pregnant with assisted reproductive therapies.

In a study, acupuncture was shown to increase ovarian reserve in women with a poor ovarian response. Acupuncture is safe, yet effective, and can be used as a complementary therapy alongside controlled ovarian hyperstimulation therapy. For some women, acupuncture alone may be enough to support quality egg production.

Acupuncture can even increase ovarian reserve quality in women over the age of 37. In another study, women who were 37 or older who underwent acupuncture along with their IVF treatments had a significant increase in the number of mature eggs harvested. So no matter what is contributing to your reduced ovarian reserve — whether it’s hormonal imbalances or age — acupuncture can enhance the quality and quantity of your eggs, thereby boosting your chances of success with your IVF treatments.

Acupuncture reduces egg retrieval pain

Establishing ovulatory cycles and supporting your ovarian reserve before egg retrieval is half the battle when it comes to IVF. Next comes the actual egg retrieval. It’s a necessary step in the IVF treatment process, but many women are concerned about the procedure. After all, isn’t it painful?

Egg retrieval is performed vaginally, and involves using a needle to puncture the vaginal wall and enter the ovarian capsule. Patients are sedated for this invasive procedure, so you won’t feel pain as your fertility specialist retrieves the eggs. Once the egg retrieval is done, however, you may feel residual pain and swelling, as the procedure itself is quite invasive and can traumatize the surrounding tissue.

Patients typically report mild to moderate pain with pain medication following oocyte retrieval, but for some women, the pain can be more severe. The procedure causes minor trauma to the ovaries and surrounding tissue, which can lead to cramping, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, and swelling as well as, back pain. For women wishing to avoid NSAIDs and other pain medications, acupuncture is a fantastic complementary non-drug treatment for alleviating the pain and reducing inflammation.

Acupuncture changes the way your body responds to pain, altering the pain response, and raising your pain threshold naturally. During acupuncture, the body releases endorphins, neurotransmitters that act as pain-relievers, attaching to the opioid receptors in your brain and numbing the pain response. Acupuncture’s soothing effect on the nervous system can make egg retrieval less painful, so you can rest comfortably following the procedure. 

Acupuncture prepares the body for embryo transfer

Because acupuncture relieves stress and promotes hormonal balance, and because it increases blood flow to the uterus and pelvic floor muscles keeping them nice and toned, that means that acupuncture can also be used to prepare the body for embryo transfer.

Multiple studies have shown that acupuncture increases the chances of a successful IVF embryo transfer. Getting acupuncture the day before and the day after an embryo transfer makes the uterus more receptive to implantation. So it’s no surprise that acupuncture can boost IVF success rates by 65%.

If you’ve undergone IVF treatments in the past to no avail, implementing acupuncture as part of your fertility treatment strategy could be a game-changer for you. We often advise our patients to begin twice-weekly acupuncture treatments 2 to 3 months before IVF treatments begin, to help the body prepare for the process.  

Contact our office today

Whether you’re still looking into IVF or have already begun treatments, it’s never too late to start reaping the benefits of acupuncture.

Get in touch with our office today to book your first appointment. At Integrative Healing Arts, we have years of experience in alternative medicine and can create a customized acupuncture fertility support plan for you that also includes other helpful therapies, like massage and herbal medicine.

We’re ready to help you as you embark on your fertility journey, from the start of your IVF treatments until the moment you hold your new baby in your arms for the first time.