Anyone had acupuncture for infertility

[HayleyKate]

I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 years now with no success. Has anyone had success with acupuncture, iv had 2 sessions now and been taking chinese herbs too.

[Devilforasideboard]

I had a lot of acupuncture but it didn't stop me needing IVF in the end. However I felt a million times better and more in control having acupuncture alongside the IVF. Got a BFP first cycle who is asleep upstairs now. Good luck x

[FingersCrossedLegsNot]

I had acupuncture, I hav pcos and used to have very long irregular cycles.

It brought me down from 120 something plus day cycle to the thirties.

I didn't get pregnant from it though.

[Andcake]

I had it for poor ovarian reserve for about 3 months. Took Chinese herbs to. Didn't work and stopped as I actually hated it - not squeamish about needles more that I didn't really understand the science behind it. So didn't trust it.
I had a v low chance of success 1% with ivf same as my natural chances
Acupuncture didn't work but lifestyle changes and supplements gave me a few bfp's which ed to mc but the third golden egg stuck and ds is a year.

[YoniMitchell]

I had acupuncture alongside our last cycle if IVF (frozen), not sure if it led it to be successful in itself but it certainly made me feel better. I had treatment over the course of about 9-10 months (varying from weekly sessions to once every 2-3-4 weeks) and I'm going back in about 10 weeks for more to prepare for the birth.

[GrumpyKat]

I had acupuncture alongside our only IVF cycle. Dd is asleep upstairs. Maybe it would have happened anyway, maybe not. But I'm very glad we had the acupuncture!

[Thatsnotmychicken]

I had acupuncture for pcos, alongside clomid. Only ovulated when I had both although didn't get pregnant.
Good luck

[sittinginthesun]

Yes. I had been trying for a year, had previously been tested and told I wasn't ovulating, and that I would "need a hand" to conceive.

I had acupuncture for six months, my awful pms symptoms disappeared, my cycle became regular for the first time in my life, and I fell pregnant with ds1 without any other treatment.

[WhatQueSto]

I had acupuncture through 2 cycles of IVF. We're going to adoption panel next week.

[partystress]

Have no idea whether it played any part at all, but after 4 failed cycles, a friend gave me a Reiki treatment and cycle 5 worked. Hope something works for you soon.

[JRsandCoffee]

Yes, successful first cycle.

[elvista]

As my acupuncturist says - 'people get pregnant without acupuncture.' Obviously this is true. However, I had really irregular cycles which have regulated, although further investigations revealed that nothing short of IVF would help me to get pregnant. As a result of the advice given in the acupuncture sessions, I am lighter, healthier, have a more balanced blood sugar and generally calmer and less stressed. I'll definitely be using acupuncture alongside any IVF cycles we do.

[ceara]

I had acupuncture for 8 months (unexplained infertility) while hoping to avoid IVF. My acupuncturist was 100% convinced my problem was a womb lining issue/insufficiency. 6 months after stopping acupuncture I had a monitored cycle which disproved that theory, and has left me pretty sceptical about acupuncture.

That said, I had good AMH results (for my age) not long before giving up on the acupuncture, but when we started IVF 6 months later my antral follicle count was lower than expected from the previous good AMH result (we didn't repeat the AMH test, but assume it would have been lower too). The clinic upped my drugs a bit for the IVF cycle, we got 13 eggs, and I'm very fortunate to be pregnant now with a frostie. But I'll never know if the apparent drop off in fertility over those 6 months before commencing IVF was just coincidence/passage of time, or if acupuncture had been helping and I was a fool to have stopped!

[BlindKitty]

I've just had first round of iui (with menopur) with acupuncture. No idea if it made the difference but got my bfp after ttc for 26months without acupuncture and naturally/with clomid

[MyNameIsWinkly]

I had 4 expensive months of acupuncture along with a massive overhaul of diet. It was quite pleasant but I didn't get pregnant.

[Grittzio]

Spent 6 years trying, eventually after 6 x IUI, and 2 IVF got DS, 3.3 years later using no contraception, after a few visits to a chiropractor for a bad back got pregnant naturally with DD. My pelvis was out which was causing neck and shoulder pain and had been for years, maybe this caused me not to get pregnant naturally, I was diagnosed as unexplained. Along the way with all fertility treatment I tried acupuncture, herbalist, hypnotherapy etc.

[Mindfulmumatobe]

yes I love, acupuncture, have been going for about 18 months on and off and has really improved my health, cycle and stress levels. I've also been doing EFT , which uses the same principles as acupuncture, but you can do it yourself. Lots of info on my blog if you're interested:

mindfulmumatobe.blogspot.co.uk/p/resources.html

[Blondeshavemorefun]

I've been thinking about having acupuncture

Been ttc for about 7yrs on and off

Was told last week by surgeon after lap and dye that I have a blocked tube and very unlikely to conceive naturally and to do ivf - will be private as dp has 3 kids in their 20's

Still think the nhs law is unfair but there we go :(

How much is acupuncture a session and how many sessions did you all have / were advised to have

[swlondonnanny]

I have been having acupuncture for nearly a year now for recurrent miscarriage. I am yet to get and stay pregnant but in that year my hormonal profile improved, am on much less medication for my thyroid, my periods are pretty much pain and clots free. So very happy with results overall. Now I just need to get pregnant (and stay pregnant!!!!).
However acupuncture has it's limits and will not do much with anatomical problems ( have heart shaped uterus myself ) and don't think they can chance uterus shape or unblock the tubes...
I pay £52 per half an hour session which seems to be going rate in Central London and go every couple of weeks / once a month

[MistressofPemberley]

I've had acupuncture weekly then moving to fortnightly since Feb 2012 after 3 mcs. I also cut out booze and caffeine and read lots about Chinese medicine. I ate different foods at different times of the month to help. There is a great book by Randine Lewis if you're interested. I appreciate it's all a bit woo (my husband thinks it's a load of rubbish), but for me it worked. She increased my luteal phase, changed my periods (she said she was working on clearing old blood and building up uterine lining)... Diet defo helped too with moods, weight, depression etc and most importantly I achieved what I set out to do .... Gorgeous 8 week old DD is sleeping on my chest right now!
It was a big investment but totally worth it. Was it the acupuncture? Who knows but I'm happy.

[ericcartmell]

How much it costs depends on where you are. In London £50 is average, though I have seen as low as £25 and as high as £300 (which is an insane price). The minimum worthwhile treatment is 3 months and 6 months is better, especially with IVF and even more especially when the IVF is privately funded. I have seen patients fall pregnant with 4 weeks of commencing treatment, but other patients take several months. 6 months is a good average.

[CockacidalManiac]

You reawakened a three year old thread to tell people that?

[MillieLikesSketty]

I didn't realize it would be more like 6 months thanks. Just going through second mc now so looking at acupuncture to see if it can help this, it definitely helped my sciatica!

[ericcartmell]

@millielikessketty you're welcome. If you are looking into it, you can't do better than read anything by Bob Flaws. I think there are still some articles by him knocking around on the Internet, though his wife was rather assiduous about ushering them all behind a paywall after he retired, which struck me as rather ungenerous. You can read samples of his books in google books- this, is not a bad place to start ow.ly/10y7HE (one of his books on fertility). If you are in the UK, I would avoid Zita West, who is very good at marketing, exceptionally average in proficiency, and astronomically expensive at £300 +. The same probably applies to practitioners trained by her- since I'm sure she charges them a lot to be part of her "network", they are unlikely to charge a very modest fee. Fertility is the most lucrative specialism in acupuncture, thus many clinics and practitioners exaggerate their expertise in it, so caveat emptor ! If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me or just ask on here. 😊

[Harmony321]

After unsuccessfully TTC for 15 years I tried acupuncture on a whim after completely giving up on the idea of ever having our own family. I'd had 5 failed IUIs, failed IVF's and failed ICSI and was feeling hopeless. I found a reputable clinic where the doctor had proven success in treating infertility. I had 6 weeks of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I fell pregnant naturally on holiday after the 6 weeks. Still can't believe it!!! 18 weeks pregnant now. It's definitely worth a try. Best of luck to you all.

[Skwene]

Pls can you give me the name of the acupuncture clinic thanks.