Fertility

The Acupuncture Solution to Boost Fertility

While acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years, acupuncture for fertility is one of the most exciting applications of our time. Many couples find that it takes longer than expected to achieve a positive pregnancy test and a healthy baby, even after doing all the “right” things, such as reducing endocrine disruptors (chemical products that interfere with hormones), sleeping and eating well, and maintaining normal cycles and intimacy.

What Is Infertility?

There are two key components in defining infertility:

• Trying for one year or more without achieving a successful pregnancy
• Any physical or medical condition that makes attaining pregnancy more difficult or causes difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term
  

Who is affected?

Infertility affects about 10% of couples worldwide, and an estimated 12-15% of couples in the United States and tends to correlate with advancing age. Every year, surprising statistics are published that have recently found up to 1 in 6 people may experience infertility by the time they are ready to be parents.

How Can It Be Helped?

Efforts to boost fertility, both holistic and modern medical, show promise. IVF, IUI, and acupuncture, and often a combination of these, can increase the chances of success.

To maximize outcomes, acupuncture for fertility should ideally begin at least 3–4 months before an IVF transfer or IUI procedure. For those seeking 100% natural methods, a “goalpost” date may be chosen based on when conception could occur. In such cases, achieving a positive pregnancy test earlier than expected is considered a desirable outcome.

Couples’ Fertility Acupuncture

It is interesting to note that women and men experience infertility equally. Why mention that? The numbers show that about 1/3 of infertility cases are due to unknown factors, while about 1/3 are due to female factors, and about 1/3 are due to male factors. 

Women’s fertility acupuncture involves regulating the menstrual cycle, boosting egg quality, and supporting the endometrium (lining) for implantation. The mechanism is thought to work by reducing stress hormones and boosting positive messengers such as endorphins, increasing cell signaling (cytokines) and improving circulation to the reproductive organs. 

Men’s fertility acupuncture involves boosting sperm quality, balancing hormones, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the system. The mechanism is thought to work by boosting the necessary chemicals involved in hormone production and moving the body closer toward ideal temperatures for sperm count and quality. 

Because fertility involves two halves of a whole, couples’ fertility acupuncture may be recommended — especially when the cause of infertility is categorized as “unknown.” Partners may choose to attend regular sessions, often on the same day, at consistent intervals.

What to Expect

During the first session, the acupuncturist will ask detailed questions about your overall health, fertility history, prior testing, menstrual cycle, and ovulation patterns. Treatment will focus on specific acupuncture points related to fertility while also addressing any imbalances identified through pulse and tongue evaluation (you will be asked to show your tongue and both wrists for pulse assessment). When appropriate, herbal supplements may also be recommended.

Studies are Looking at Success

1. Female – Acupuncture increased the success rate of patients undergoing ART (assisted reproduction therapies) to a degree significant over ART alone [Paulus WE et al.]. 
2. Male – A biological study showed that acupuncture administered twice per week resulted in better physical shape of the sperm (improved sperm morphology). [Pei et al.]
3. Female – A biological study showed that acupuncture increased implantation and pregnancy likelihood in cases of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) compared to HRT alone. The same study also showed the result of more available endometrial lining. [Yang et al.]
4. Babies – Exciting new research showed that acupuncture and EAM (East Asian medicinal herbs) were associated with not only more live births than IVF alone, but nearly doubled the successful outcomes over IVF alone [Hullender Ruben LE et al.]

Strategy

Within the first few sessions, your acupuncturist will make recommendations regarding wellness, herbal supplementation, and session timing. Carefully spaced sessions over 3–4 months — aligning with the 90-day egg maturation cycle — are often recommended.

Tips

From our clinical experience, we have observed that consistent timing of acupuncture sessions may be more important than the total number of sessions.

Three key areas can be “tuned” to prepare for pregnancy:

1. Reduction of stress
2. Proper nutrition
3. Good sleep and intentional rest

Sometimes doing less truly means doing more.

To begin optimizing your lifestyle for fertility, consider downloading and reading this wonderful article by Dr. Daoshing Ni from Acupuncture Today (the real deal update hub for all certified acupuncturists). Sleep optimization, improved nutrition, and gentle lifestyle changes boost not only fertility but overall wellness.

Modern + Ancient Methods = Best

This video from Huberman Labs features new discoveries about the effectiveness of acupuncture for fertility, made possible through advancements in scientific research. The video is 6 minutes long and pleasant to watch. We thank Huberman Labs and the researchers involved for bringing out information that brings about tangible positive change to Life.

Chinese Medicine + Acupuncture View of Fertility

According to classical Chinese Medicine, the human body is an intricately interconnected set of energy networks. This energy, called “chi” or “qi” circulates continually through the meridian system, powering the tissues and organs and supporting muscle movement. Many of the meridians have a direct or indirect affect on the fertility of the person. A useful analogy for this concept is the “human circuit board”. When the connections are strong, the electricity can flow freely. When the circulation of the human body is strong, oxygen, water, and nutrients are distributed properly. This internal balance supports our wellness. The body’s homeostasis (base point of good functioning) keeps us functioning and vital our whole life long. Chinese medicine herbs and techniques along with acupuncture directly support this process. Classical acupuncture is deeply specific to the individual, taking into account the body, habits, emotions, and even personal goals. While the objective may be to boost fertility, acupuncture offers the happy side effect of powerfully increasing total wellness.