This is a pretty interesting overview of research that’s been done on using acupuncture in conjunction with IVF. Twenty clinical trials involving over 5,000 women were included. This review found increased pregnancy rates, live births and reduced miscarriages when acupuncture was included in the process. Interestingly, no statistical difference was found between the experimental groups and control groups receiving so-called ‘sham’ acupuncture. There is a lively discussion is the acupuncture community about whether it is really possible to do ‘sham’ acupuncture, but that’s a discussion for another time and place.
Joe Kelliher, Lic.Ac., M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. has decades of experience treating women and couples trying to get pregnant. See an overview of his experience here. If you’d like to include acupuncture as part of your fertility process call for an appointment!