Hi there.
I have been to a few different accupuncture therapists and was interested to learn whether my experiences match that of others.
Do your therapists leave the room after they have put the needles in? Or do they stay with you and talk to you?
How long are the needles left in for?
How regularly do you go to receive the accupuncture in preparation for an IVF treatment?
Thank you everyone x
Hi skittles11, I only did acupuncture once the day before my embryos was transfer. They do leave the room when they put the needles in. Also they leave a warm light over my stomach. I would say i was left alone for 10-15 minutes. Also they did give me a button to press incase i need help while in the room by myself
Hi there, my acupuncturist used heat lamp and electroacupuncture for me prior to egg collection.She would set everything up and leave the room.
She would then check on me after 20 min and come back at the end of the session (40 min).
Mine talked to me at the beginning to find out what stage I was at and the update on the cycle "performance", then put needles in, came after 20 mins to check in and sometimes check my head, neck etc and decide to put in extra needles or not and then leave again until the end.
I went on a weekly basis for five weeks and I am going next week for my final appointment. Should I need more for nausea we can discuss then.
I went to him primarily to work on my stress level.
My needles were in for 30 mins and I was left alone to essentially meditate. Xx
I did acupuncture before my retrieval and am doing it now in preparation for my FET. I go once a week and started about two months before my retrieval. The acupuncturist sets up the needles and electro stimulation on my back and leaves me for about 20 minutes. Then she comes back in, removes the needles, has me turn over, and does additional needles and electro stimulation on my stomach, legs, head, and hands. She leaves me again for about 20 minutes.
I don't know how much it impacts the IVF process, but it is relaxing and we had very good results with the retrieval. I'm struggling more with the FET portion because my lining is thin. I'm not sure if the acupuncture helps with that, but I figure it can't hurt.
My only word of caution is check with your doctor about any herbs your acupuncturist wants to give you. I had a friend who took herbs and the herbs caused her to have to cancel an IVF cycle. The doctor said they conflicted with the medications her was giving her. Good luck!
Thank you for all your replies. I have been to 3 accupuncture therapists and two of them stayed in the room with me chatting and explaining things. I wasn't sure if this was common practice and felt I could get more out of it if I was left alone to relax after the needles had gone in...
Hi skittles11. I started acupuncture about 3 weeks before I started down regs and then went weekly up to egg collection. On egg transfer day I went before transfer and after transfer.This cycle worked for me and I am currently 9 weeks pregnant. I've been going weekly since egg transfer and will go up until I am 12 weeks.
The first few weeks my acupuncturist used to put the needles in and leave the room for 20 mins. Once I got to know her she stayed and we just chatted away and put the world to rights. It helped me having someone independent to chat to you.
Wishing you all the luck x x
Where I went, the accupuncture specialist would first ask me if I had any concerns/health complaints. She would treat me accordingly. Mainly, she would sit through the session (have a chat with me about the treatment, diet changes, suggestions to help me improve my health) even when I had the needles..it would take about 15mins for each set of accupuncture points she would activate.I would enjoy going to the accupuncture sessions because it helped me a lot in de-stressing and over a period of time, I improved a lot in letting go of things that caused stress to me.
During the IVF cycle, I was told to go for a session every week till embryo transfer and for a few weeks after that but unfortunately the pregnancy wasn’t progressing well but I believe that accupuncture helped me in getting to a stage of falling pregnant.
I do it weekly but soon I will start to go every other week. They stay at the beginning to check the pulse (chinese method) and they always leave for at least 30 minutes.
This is interesting because my acupuncture is completely different. She spends time burning a herb on my skin to warm it up in a certain specific area, then puts the needles in for a few seconds only, then moves to a different area. She's therefore in the room the whole time and does chat, although sometimes I do close my eyes to stop the chat!
It really isn't what I was expecting and I certainly don't feel any different. It's very expensive if it's not doing anything! I'm down-regging at the moment, so if this cycle doesn't work I'll find a different acupuncturist I think...
I did a acupuncture with a fertility specialist, she would use a heat lamp and leave the room each time she’d set me up. She would do 30 minutes each side (on the rear focusing on the ovaries) I went once a fortnight. I’d usually spend the time snoozing
Hi. I have acupuncture weekly and have done for about 4 months so not just during my ivf cycles. I get the heat lamp or moxibustion during the follicular phase but not the luteal as heat isn't good for any potential embryo. She'll either stay or go depending on if I want to chat about how Im feeling or just want to relax - mist of the time I'm alone for around 15 to 30 mins. My sessions are 45 mins and needles are in for about 35 mins of that. Whatever you get it needs to benefit you and your stress levels so chat to them about what you'd prefer. I think weekly is best but obviously it's an additional expense too.
Hi I’ve just started acupuncture in preparation for my next cycle - completely new to it so wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m having weekly appointments. After the first session which included a consultation, I was left with the practitioner in the room and with music on for around 45 mins. Follow up sessions are 45 mins long and after the needles are in, again the practitioner sits in the corner working and we have music on, lights down and I’m left for the remainder of the session which is around 35 mins before the needles are removed. Hope that helps
I tried it for a few months before my first cycle with an acupuncturist who specialises in fertility. Depending on where I was in my cycle she would put the needles in different points and then leave me for at least 1/2 an hour. I didn’t really find it that helpful so stopped going after my cycle failed. I think some people find it helpful for relaxation but I actually found the obsession with relaxation a bit annoying, like it was being suggested that was somehow the problem even although I wasn’t always stressed about getting pregnant until it was clear there was a problem. My first cycle was a bit of a disaster and my second cycle was a bit better in terms of results with different medication so I don’t think it helped me but it might depend on what the underlying issue is. Mine in still classed as unexplained.
Hi I’ve been to 2. One left the room, the lady I go to now stays in the room. Talks to me before and after, but not during. Needles in 30mins approx. Heat lamps used sometimes too. I go every week or 2, depending on work and day before transfer 😁
Hi Skittles, I've been seeing my acupuncturist on a weekly/bi-weekly basis for a few months. The length of time the needles stay in varies from a short moment to about 20mins. We use various acupoints on the body (often feet/legs/hands). We chat and I like asking questions about acupuncture - there are over 400 acupoints in the body! It's a very relaxing practice and I always feel calm and rested afterwards. Enjoy! P.S. for embryo transfer I have been recommended to have acupuncture before and after - scientific studies show that this is beneficial. x
Interesting to see everyones experience. I initially went to one who practices in a tiny rented room. She didn't leave the room and I really couldn't relax as I could occasionally hear her moving. Was so awkward. Never went back and instead started going to the one I'm currently with. She really seems to know her stuff, practices from her house but always makes sure I am comfortable and leaves the room for about half an hour. She puts on a meditation session for me as I need it to drown out my thoughts 😅. It helps me destress more than anything.
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. There seems to be quite a bit of variances in approaches. Out of interest do people go to accupuncture therapists that specialise in fertility or do you go to general accupuncture therapists?
Mine specialises in fertility. Xx
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