How Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can enhance Fertility and IVF outcomes
Starting, or growing, a family is an exciting and precious process. However, all too often there are significant obstacles to a successful pregnancy, which can lead to stress, heartache and often profound grief. Fertility challenges affect many couples worldwide, with some statistics quoting 1 in every 8th couple.
There can be many reasons for fertility issues, and thus many reasons couples seek support through IVF procedures or alternative medicine.
For females these can include ovulation insufficiency, menstrual cycle irregularities, structural issues, stress or depleted resources. Male partners can also contribute to infertility, through low sperm counts or low quality of the sperm, lifestyle factors such as smoking, or underlying conditions such as diabetes. And of course, same sex couples may utilise IVF procedures to become pregnant.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine has been used for over 2500 years and has so much to offer in the area of fertility.
Many books written thousands of years ago on acupuncture and herbs for gynaecology, fertility and pregnancy, can now be referenced alongside current day scientific studies. These studies explore the positive effects of acupuncture and herbs on successful fertility and IVF outcomes, and how these enhanced results are achieved.
This blog will look at evidenced based studies on the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine in fertility, why these modalities work, and their rate of success when used alongside IVF procedures.
How Acupuncture can improve fertility -
Hormonal Regulation
In a systematic review published in 2021, studies examined the blood levels of FSH, progesterone and other sex hormones in women using acupuncture during IVF, compared with those using IVF alone. It found that these sex hormones were all positively influenced/increased by acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. The review concluded that acupuncture and herbal medicine likely regulate the endocrine system to increase the release of sex hormones (1).
Enhanced Blood Flow to the Uterus
This same review found that acupuncture significantly increased uterine blood flow - vital for creating the ideal environment for embryo implantation (1).
Endometrial Thickness
A thicker endometrial lining is generally associated with better implantation rates. Women who underwent acupuncture treatments had a statistically significant increase in endometrial thickness compared to those who did not (1).
Ovulation Success
Liu et al. (2022) found that women with irregular menstrual cycles who received acupuncture had a higher ovulation success rate (approximately 60%) compared to the control group, which reported only about 30% ovulation success (2).
Reduction of Stress and Anxiety
Psychological stress is common during fertility challenges and unfortunately negatively impacts fertility. Studies show that acupuncture is a highly effective stand alone treatment for depression and anxiety with fewer side effects and adverse reactions than standard pharmacological treatments (3) .
Support for Male Fertility
Research by Xiangping (2021) found that acupuncture significantly improved overall and specific areas of sperm health, addressing some of the key factors contributing to male infertility (4).
Herbal medicine’s role in improving fertility -
Personalised Herbal Formulations
Herbal treatments can be individualised to address specific fertility-related issues. A study by Chang et al. (2023) demonstrated that women receiving customised herbal medicine alongside in IVF experienced improved ovarian response, leading to a higher number of viable embryos (5).
Endometrial Health
Certain herbal formulas were associated with increased endometrial thickness in women undergoing fertility treatments (5).
Ovulation Induction
Chinese herbal medicine may aid in inducing ovulation. Liu et al. (2023) indicated that women using specific herbal formulations experienced a higher ovulation success rate (approximately 70%) compared to those receiving standard treatment alone, which had about a 40% success rate (2).
Reduction of Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can negatively impact fertility. Studies find that specific herbal formulas can reduce systemic inflammation and improve metabolic profiles, which are critical for reproductive health (1).
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine influence on IVF success rates -
Acupuncture and IVF Success
A comprehensive meta-analysis by Lee (2019) concluded that acupuncture significantly increased clinical pregnancy rates when used alongside IVF (6). A further study showed the pregnancy rate pregnancy rate is significantly increased when acupuncture is received before and after an embryo transfer, and anxiety levels were decreased (7).
Herbal Medicine and Fertility Outcomes
Women using Chinese herbal medicine as part of their fertility treatment had improved ovarian reserve markers, higher pregnancy rates, and increased endometrial thickness compared to those who received standard care alone (1).
So what does this look like in clinical practise?
In my Coburg acupuncture clinic in Melbourne, I support many couples through their natural or assisted fertility journey. Each journey is completely unique and will require a tailored approach. Individualised and comprehensive fertility treatment plans - including targeted lifestyle and dietary advice, ordering and analysing blood tests, acupuncture, herbal medicine and/or supplements - are designed according to the needs of each patient. I encourage you or your loved one to reach out and have an obligation free chat about how acupuncture and herbal medicine can help your fertility, whether it be –
· Preparing your body for trying naturally, or for your IVF procedure
· Improving natural fertility
· Regulating your menstrual cycle
· Improving the quality and quantity of your sperm
· Utilising up to date information, testing and support to get to the root of your fertility issues
· Enhancing the efficacy of your IVF procedure
· Managing reproductive related stress, anxiety or grief
· Holding your new pregnancy
We live in a wonderful time in medical history; we have access to the best of modern science and technology and profound ancient wisdom and its tools. Finding a practitioner that holds both systems of knowledge can empower couples to better understand their health and fertility journey, and feel deeply supported with a renewed sense of hope that success is possible.
Mo, J., et al (2023). Effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine formulas combined with acupuncture in the treatment of ovulation dysfunction infertility: A systematic review and meta-analysis” Medicine, 102(27):p e34310
Lui, Y., et al. (2022). “Effects of Acupuncture on Endometrium and Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Undergoing in vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Clinical Experience, Chinese Journal Intergrative Medicine, 28, 736–742.
Duan, R., et al (2024). “Efficacy of acupuncture for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Neuroscience, 18
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1347651/full
Xiangping, P. (2021). “Efficacy of Acupuncture for Male Infertility with Low Sperm Quality 102 Male Cases of Idiopathic Asthenospermia, Oligospermia and Teratospermia”. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture, 30, 191 -197.
Chang, H., et al (2023). “Chinese herbal medicines as complementary therapy to in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in women with infertility: protocols and applications.” Human Fertility, 26.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14647273.2023.2266619#abstract
Lee, E (2019). “Point of Influence: What is the Role of Acupuncture in In Vitro Fertilization Outcomes?” Medical Acupuncture, 31 (6).
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acu.2019.1392?journalCode=acu
Boreki, B., et al (2020). “Effectiveness of acupuncture on pregnancy success rates for women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A randomized controlled trial.” Taiwan Journal of Obsteterics and Gynecology, 59 (2).
Zheng, X., et al (2019) “The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 19 (131)
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-019-2523-7