As a general guide, an Acupuncture IVF/ART support treatment plan might be:

• If time permits, at least weekly Acupuncture for 1-3 months prior to the cycle.

• At least weekly Acupuncture during the IVF cycle

• Acupuncture on the day of Embryo Transfer

• Acupuncture in the lead up to and during the IVF cycle will have better outcomes than Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer alone, as supported by this study:

  (Hullender Rubin LE, Opsahl MS, Wiemer KE, Mist SD, Caughey AB. Impact of whole systems traditional Chinese medicine on in-vitro fertilization outcomes. Reprod Biomed Online. 2015 Jun;30(6):602-12. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2015.02.005. Epub 2015 Feb 24. PMID: 25911598; PMCID: PMC4458185)

  Many IVF clinics offer Acupuncture as an add on service. For over 2 decades Ceda has been supporting Women during IVF.

  The possible mechanisms of action of Acupuncture in IVF are as follows:

• Improved blood flow to the Uterus and Pelvis - which in turn will supply nutrition to the Endometrial Lining and the Ovary, and assist with immune function.

• Calming the nervous system, allowing for optimal hormonal reproductive function

• “Acupuncture may improve the IVF outcome possibly by decreasing blood flow impedance and increasing the uterine blood flow (16), inhibiting uterine motility (17), reducing depression, anxiety, and stress (18, 19), and modulating the immune factors, especially cytokines (20)” link

  (Dehghani AS, Homayouni K, Kanannejad Z, Kanannejad Z. The effect of acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer on the in vitro fertilization outcomes: An RCT. Int J Reprod Biomed. 2020 Mar 29;18(3):209-214. doi: 10.18502/ijrm.v18i3.6719. PMID: 32309770; PMCID: PMC7142313.)