Acupuncture and herbal medicine improve the fertility of women and couples who are trying to conceive, naturally or through IVF.
In general, happy healthy people are more fertile and the treatments will aim for this. We will also work on specifics such as such as egg quality and the health of the endometrial lining, calming the nervous system, and emotional support.
Continuing treatment during pregnancy addresses morning sickness, low energy or digestive issues in the 1st trimester; lower back pain later on; and preparation for trouble-free labor and delivery.
There’s even an old herbal prescription called Guarantee Trouble Free Labour Drink 保產無憂方
The most recent review of evidence found that acupuncture benefits the outcomes of women with infertility and that the number of treatments is a potential influential factor (1). Interestingly another review found that the evidence was better that herbal medicine had an effect on infertility(2). And a review of the evidence for acupuncture to improve the outcomes of IVF said that it could improve pregnancy rates (3).
(1) Quan K, Yu C, Wen X, Lin Q, Wang N, Ma H. Acupuncture as Treatment for Female Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Feb 16;2022:3595033. link. PMID: 35222669; PMCID: PMC8865966.
(2) Lee JW, Hyun MK, Kim HJ, Kim DI. Acupuncture and herbal medicine for female infertility: an overview of systematic reviews. Integr Med Res. 2021 Sep;10(3):100694. link. Epub 2020 Nov 18. PMID: 33665092; PMCID: PMC7903059.
(3) Xiu, Wc., Gang, Wj., Jiao, Rm. et al. Effect of Acupuncture on Outcomes of In-Vitro Fertilisation: A Scoping Review. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 28, 472–480 (2022). link