Fertility Acupuncture

Who can benefit from fertility acupuncture?

We recommend fertility acupuncture treatments for various medical conditions. These include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fibroids, endometriosis, and issues with an ovarian reserve and sperm quality. In addition to helping patients manage anxiety and promote relaxation, acupuncture treatments also help relieve various side effects of fertility drugs (such as bloating and nausea).

Acupuncture can be a solo treatment to help you enhance fertility, or it can be a part of your ART plan. We will work with your doctor to ensure the most favorable outcome.
Acupuncture can be a solo treatment to help you enhance fertility, or it can be a part of your ART plan. We will work with your doctor to ensure the most favorable outcome.

How does acupuncture work with patients to increase their chances of getting pregnant?

Determining the obstacles

The process begins with identifying the cause of infertility. There are many causes of female infertility, but the most common ones are problems with the ovaries, uterus, or Fallopian tubes. Other causes can include problems with the cervix, thyroid gland, or pituitary gland and lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking alcohol, or being overweight. 

Chinese medical diagnosis

Regarding Chinese medical diagnosis, we assess your fertility by estimating the body’s overall energy level, emotional influences on reproductive health, and other factors determining egg quality. We also analyze the menstrual cycle. Depending on our findings, we may recommend lifestyle changes or dietary supplements such as vitamins and antioxidants to improve egg quality and fertility before/between/after Acupuncture NYC treatments.

Additional medical information

We may also ask both partners to provide additional medical information on fertility if necessary. This information may include ovulation medical history, semen analysis to check sperm health, and blood tests to determine FSH levels for women or testosterone levels for men. 

Acupuncture for fertility program

Once we have all the information we need, we create an individualized acupuncture program that will increase your fertility and chances of getting pregnant. We create an acupuncture treatment plan customized to treat your particular health conditions. This program usually requires at least three months before results can be seen. However, in some cases, it may take longer depending on the cause of infertility and other factors. Whatever the outcome, we’ll work closely with you to monitor your progress and development.
Depending on our findings, we may recommend lifestyle changes or dietary supplements such as vitamins and antioxidants to improve egg quality and fertility before/between/after Acupuncture NYC treatments.

IVF support-benefits of fertility acupuncture combined with traditional Western medicine treatments

If you plan to go through the IVF route, is best to start acupuncture for fertility treatment as early as possible. It helps to normalize the menstrual cycle and all the hormonal markers as much as possible before starting Western medical treatment. Being in optimal fertility before starting artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments, IVF cycle included, has been shown to increase natural conception rates and treatment success rates. 
Fertility acupuncture is also beneficial in the case of IVF. Acupuncture can increase uterine and ovarian health, improve egg quality, and optimize uterine and ovarian function. It also helps prevent uterine contractions during embryo transfer and decreases uterine cramps after embryo implantation.

Ovarian reserve

Ovarian reserve is often a significant factor in the success of IVF treatments. The ovarian reserve is a measurement of the number and quality of eggs which remain in a woman’s ovaries at any given time. While acupuncture can not increase the number of eggs available in the woman’s body, it can certainly improve the quality of existing eggs. As fertility acupuncture helps balance hormones, it can help normalize or enhance a woman’s ovarian reserve function and egg quality. It can improve natural fertility and increase natural conception and ART success rates.

Uterine lining

The uterine environment plays an essential role in fertility. In particular, it determines the ability of a woman to conceive and carry her baby. Acupuncture can improve uterine function and help build up the uterine lining, thus improving fertility. It can also decrease uterine spasms and pain by improving blood flow and hormone levels.

What to expect during a treatment

Once all the clinical information is in place, you will come to your acupuncture treatment once or twice a week, depending on your goals and what your acupuncturist may recommend as the best option. Each acupuncture visit begins with assessing your symptoms and analyzing your BBT chart. Acupuncture points selection varies on where you may be in your menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is a woman’s monthly cycle, during which her body prepares for pregnancy. This phase begins with the first day of menstrual bleeding and ends when the next period starts. There are four parts to the menstrual cycle: menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase.

Menstruation

During menstruation, your body sheds old blood and other fluids from the uterus lining to prepare your uterus for the new cycle. During this part of the cycle, acupuncture treatments focus on regulating the blood flow and ensuring your uterus sheds the old uterine lining completely. Acupuncture helps to treat menstrual cramps as well as excessive menstrual bleeding. 

 

Follicular phase

The follicular phase is the beginning of the menstrual cycle. During the follicular phase, your body starts to produce a new egg. An egg is housed in each follicle. Only one follicle will mature into an egg, while the others will perish. In preparation for pregnancy, the uterine lining thickens due to increased follicular growth. During this time, our fertility acupuncture focuses on increasing blood and energy flow to the uterus and regulating your hormones to promote a thick and nurturing uterine lining, which will serve as the nurturing site for a fertilized egg.

Ovulation phase

During ovulation, an egg is released from one of the ovaries. Ovulation usually occurs halfway through the menstrual cycle. Acupuncture treatment aims to make sure ovulation does not get triggered too early to mature the egg. Another essential task of acupuncture treatment is to promote the smooth movement of the released egg through the fallopian tube into the uterus.

Luteal phase

The Luteal Phase is the latter half of the menstrual cycle, which begins after ovulation. During this time, your body continues to prepare for pregnancy by thickening the uterine lining so that it can support a fertilized egg should an embryo implant. During this part of the cycle, acupuncture treatment focuses on nurturing the uterine lining and regulating energy and hormones. 

How many treatments will you need?

Acupuncture NYC can adjust the treatment schedule or structure depending on each patient’s need or fertility journey.
The number of acupuncture treatments depends entirely on your diagnosis, goals, and overall health. We recommend scheduling at least one or two acupuncture appointments per week for three to four months. Some infertility patients may require more frequent treatments. The fertility treatments are usually administered until the patient gets pregnant or is ready to begin her IVF cycle. 

Can you get acupuncture in conjunction with other treatments?

Acupuncture works well in conjunction with Western medical treatment for infertility. We work closely with your fertility clinic to make sure our therapies are complementary to the work your clinic is doing. We are also proud to encourage you to explore other holistic fertility modalities, such as yoga, meditation, and osteopathy. If you need to find New York City’s best practitioners in this field, we can help. We work with the best specialists in Manhattan.

Why treat infertility at Acupuncture NYC?

Acupuncture NYC has over twenty-four years of clinical expertise in infertility acupuncture. With our therapeutic program, we’ve been able to help clients who had struggled with infertility for years and were able to conceive. If you have problems getting pregnant naturally or are about to have IUI or IVF, we can assist. We can help you overcome your fertility issues and support you before, during, and after childbirth. We also provide natural stress and anxiety relief for individuals with fertility problems. Our acupuncture treatments are unrivaled in quality and efficacy because we focus on your specific circumstances and address your particular fundamental imbalances. We deal with who you are and where you are in your journey.

If you have further questions, or you would like to make an appointment, don’t hesitate to contact us here. You can also step by our Midtown office location for a consultation. 

Andre Yershov, L.Ac. Full body portrait
Andre Yershov, L. Ac., founder of Acupuncture NYC