Acupuncture and IVF: support through every stage of your cycle

What is acupuncture, and why do people use it during IVF?

Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, single-use, sterile needles at specific points on the body. A fertility session here runs 45 to 60 minutes, most of which you spend lying still. In Australia it is a registered health profession: practitioners must be registered with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia under AHPRA.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses its own framework, including ideas such as Qi, Blood and organ patterns, to shape an individual treatment. We keep that framework distinct from biomedical explanations and from the decisions made by your fertility specialist. People often seek acupuncture during IVF because they want continuity of care, time to talk through how they are coping, and support tailored to the symptoms and pressures they are experiencing at each stage.

How does acupuncture care work alongside IVF?

IVF is the treatment. Acupuncture, if you choose to have it, sits beside it as supportive care. Your fertility specialist runs the medical protocol: the stimulation drugs, the monitoring, the egg collection, the transfer. Nothing we do changes any of that, and nothing we do is ever a reason to delay or alter it.

The UK fertility regulator, the HFEA, tells patients that complementary therapies “may be suggested to patients undergoing fertility treatment to help with relaxation or general wellbeing”, and that “for most patients having routine in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is effective without using any complementary therapies” (HFEA). Our care follows that complementary role. An appointment gives you time with a practitioner who understands the stages of IVF, listens to what is happening that week and adapts treatment around your symptoms, schedule and preferences.

Maria’s connection to Chinese medicine began more than fifteen years ago, through her own experience of unexplained infertility and IVF; she trained as a practitioner after that. She understands the practical rhythm of monitoring, changing dates, transfer days and the wait afterwards. That experience shapes a warm, flexible approach while your fertility clinic remains responsible for medical treatment and reproductive outcomes.

Does acupuncture improve IVF success rates?

The research supports an informed, appropriately modest promise.

The largest and best-blinded trial in this field compared real acupuncture with a placebo needling procedure in 848 women and found live births of 18.3% versus 17.8%, a risk difference of 0.5% (95% CI −4.9% to 5.8%) (Smith 2018, JAMA). The 2013 Cochrane review of 20 trials and 4,544 women concluded there was no evidence that acupuncture improves live birth, ongoing pregnancy or clinical pregnancy rates in assisted conception (Cochrane CD006920.pub3).

This means our offer is supportive care rather than a promise about conception, pregnancy or birth. We can still be clear about what patients value: an individual plan, care for suitable symptoms, a calm and private appointment, flexibility around changing clinic dates, and a practitioner who communicates with the IVF team when useful.

Why do studies reach different conclusions?

The comparison group changes how a result should be interpreted.

Trials in this field split into two kinds. In the first, acupuncture is compared with nothing extra: no needles, no additional appointments, no extra time with a clinician. These trials have generally reported positive results. In the second, acupuncture is compared with a sham procedure, usually a blunt retractable needle that rests on the skin without penetrating it, so the woman cannot tell which group she is in. These trials have consistently found no difference.

Cochrane demonstrated the split inside a single analysis of live birth around embryo transfer. Same review, same outcome, sorted only by control type:

The same pattern turned up in a 2025 meta-analysis restricted to transfer-day acupuncture: clinical pregnancy RR 1.25 (1.05 to 1.50) against a blank control, and RR 1.01 (0.87 to 1.17) against sham (Wang 2025). It even turned up inside one research group. Paulus and colleagues published a much-quoted positive result in 2002 against a no-treatment control, then ran a placebo-controlled version of the same protocol and did not reproduce it.

What are the most useful research findings to know?

Earlier studies including Paulus 2002 (160 women, clinical pregnancy 42.5% versus 26.3%) and Westergaard 2006 (273 women, clinical and ongoing pregnancy higher in the transfer-day group than in controls). Both compared acupuncture with no additional treatment. Cochrane judged both at high risk of performance and detection bias, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from their positive results.

Smith 2018 was led from the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University, with co-authors at Flinders and UNSW, and run at 16 IVF centres across Australia and New Zealand. In 848 women randomised to real or sham acupuncture during stimulation and around transfer, live birth was 18.3% versus 17.8%. This large, locally relevant trial carries more weight because participants were blinded to whether they received the acupuncture procedure being tested or placebo needling.

Newer reviews do report associations with clinical pregnancy: Fu 2025 (42 trials, 7,400 women) reported RR 1.19 (1.06 to 1.34), and Yang 2025 reported RR 1.26 (1.08 to 1.47). Both pooled sham-controlled trials together with no-treatment-controlled trials, so neither can separate needling from everything else that comes with an appointment, and neither demonstrated an increase in live births. Wang 2025 put live birth at RR 1.01 (0.88 to 1.15) on moderate-certainty evidence.

Research has also explored laboratory and intermediate outcomes. A 2019 review reported changes in ultrasound blood-flow indices and endometrial thickness (Zhong 2019), while rating its own evidence “very low to moderate”, predominantly very low and low, across 13 trials all conducted in one country. The HFEA addresses this exact claim and says “the evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for this purpose is unclear”. A 2026 review included two small trials reporting high-quality oocytes and six reporting laboratory embryo grading, with pooled comparators (Wang JY 2026). These limited laboratory findings do not establish improved egg quality as patients understand it, and they have not established an improvement in pregnancy or live birth.

One 2026 single-centre sham-controlled trial in 120 women with diminished ovarian reserve used an intensive protocol of three 20-minute sessions each week for 12 weeks. At week 12, the median change in antral follicle count was 2.00 with acupuncture and 0 with sham, but the difference was no longer significant at week 24 (Wang X 2026). AMH, FSH, estradiol, LH and cycle length did not differ significantly between groups, and the study did not measure pregnancy, embryo or live-birth outcomes. That protocol is 36 sessions in twelve weeks, which is far beyond what we offer or what most people going through IVF would want to take on, so it is not a plan you should read this finding as recommending. Practitioners were unblinded, participant blinding was not formally tested, and the result comes from one centre using one technique. The temporary, intermediate finding is promising enough for further research, but it does not show that acupuncture restores ovarian reserve or improves fertility.

Does acupuncture help with the stress and anxiety of IVF?

Support during treatment can matter even when it is not a promise about the outcome.

In the same Australian trial, women who received real acupuncture reported slightly less anxiety after embryo transfer than women who received sham: mean difference −1.1 (95% CI −2.2 to −0.1) (Smith 2019). The authors’ wording was that acupuncture “may reduce anxiety at embryo transfer”. It is a modest finding, its confidence interval nearly touches zero, and it was one of several secondary outcomes in a trial powered to measure live birth. Overall quality of life did not differ between the groups.

A 2022 systematic review of eight trials also found a small average reduction in IVF-related state anxiety when all comparison groups were pooled: SMD −0.21 (95% CI −0.39 to −0.04) (Hullender Rubin 2022). The authors rated the evidence very low certainty, and the difference was not significant when acupuncture was compared specifically with sham acupuncture. This suggests a possible short-term supportive effect, not a treatment for an anxiety disorder and not a fertility benefit.

The same research also found that women’s emotional wellbeing was lower three months after their IVF cycle, which the authors described as an ongoing unmet psycho-social need. That is a fair reason to think about support during and after a cycle. Acupuncture can be one part of your support network when it feels useful to you, alongside your clinic’s counsellor, a psychologist, family, friends or a support group.

When during an IVF cycle would you have acupuncture?

There is no single schedule that suits everyone. Some patients want support at one or two demanding points; others prefer continuity across more of the cycle. We plan around your symptoms, clinic dates, preferences and budget, then review together whether the care is useful. The stages below are choices, not a required package.

For a fuller walk through the cycle, see when to have acupuncture during an IVF cycle, or how many sessions you actually need if you are weighing up the commitment.

What can acupuncture not replace?

Acupuncture remains complementary to IVF and to any medication your specialist has prescribed. In the PCOSAct trial of 1,000 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, clomiphene increased live births (28.7% versus 15.4%) while acupuncture did not (Wu 2017, JAMA). Your medical treatment and monitoring therefore stay with your fertility team.

It is also not a diagnosis. A Chinese medicine pattern is an explanatory framework within its own tradition, not a hidden biomedical cause your fertility specialist missed. Decisions about how many cycles to pursue, which embryos to transfer and when to stop belong with your specialist and, where helpful, a fertility counsellor.

We will not suggest delaying a cycle, stopping prescribed medication or substituting acupuncture for fertility treatment. If a concern needs medical assessment, we will refer it back to your clinic or GP.

Is acupuncture safe during IVF?

Acupuncture is generally very safe when it is performed by a qualified practitioner, but side effects can occur and should be discussed as part of informed consent. There is more detail, including which symptoms belong with your fertility clinic rather than with us, in is acupuncture safe during ovarian stimulation.

In the Australian trial, an adverse event was recorded in 28.9% of women having real acupuncture and 21.2% of those having sham: mostly tiredness (14.6% versus 11.7%), discomfort on transfer day (10.3% versus 4.9%) and bruising (5.0% versus 1.3%). The current Cochrane review of acupuncture in PCOS, updated in October 2025, rates adverse events as probably more common with acupuncture than with sham, RR 1.16 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.31), moderate certainty (Cochrane CD007689.pub5). The events listed were dizziness, nausea, bruising, insomnia, abdominal pain and skin rashes.

Tell us before we start

• Any bleeding disorder, or anticoagulant medication. The HFEA advises telling your practitioner, and anticoagulants are sometimes prescribed during IVF.
• Pregnancy, including a positive test you have not told anyone about yet. The HFEA describes acupuncture as generally safe in pregnancy “although certain points should be avoided”, so point selection changes once you tell us.
• Any herbal medicine or supplement you are taking. The HFEA is specific that herbal medicines “may interact with medicines that you’re already taking or should not be taken if you’re pregnant”. Herbal medicine is a separate and higher-risk question from needling, and nothing on this page supports a herbal claim in fertility care.
• If a previous session left you dizzy, nauseated or bruised. That changes how we treat, and sometimes whether we treat.

Should you tell your IVF clinic you are having acupuncture?

Yes. The HFEA advises anyone considering a complementary therapy to “check first with your clinician in case it might affect your fertility treatment”, and that advice exists for concrete reasons: herbs, anticoagulants, and timing around procedures.

Most Australian IVF units are familiar with patients using complementary care. If your specialist wants to know what we are doing, we will communicate with them, in writing if useful. We work inside their protocol and adapt around monitoring, procedures and any clinical instructions they provide.

On the guidelines: NICE, the UK body that appraises clinical evidence, advises telling people concerned about their fertility that the effectiveness of complementary therapies “has not been properly evaluated” and that further research is needed before such interventions can be recommended (NICE NG257). Two qualifications are important. NICE names no specific complementary therapy: the word acupuncture does not appear anywhere in the recommendations, either for or against. And the recommendation is tagged [2004], carried forward unchanged into the March 2026 guideline rather than freshly re-examined. It is fair to say NICE has not evaluated the current evidence base. It would not be fair to present it as a 2026 verdict on acupuncture.

Is acupuncture for IVF covered by Medicare or private health insurance?

Chinese medicine treatments at this clinic are not covered by Medicare. Private health extras cover is a different matter: if your policy includes acupuncture, you can claim on the spot through our HICAPS terminal and pay only the gap. Rebate amounts and annual limits vary a great deal between funds and levels of cover, so check with your fund before your first visit rather than after it. Chinese herbs and supplements are not rebatable and are charged separately.

We will discuss likely frequency and cost before you begin. You do not need to commit to a full-cycle package: some patients choose a small number of appointments around the stages they find most difficult, while others value regular continuity. We agree on a review point so you can decide whether the care is providing enough value to continue.

What does an appointment at Rozelle involve?

Your first visit takes about 90 minutes and costs $170. It covers a detailed history: health background, fertility timeline, cycle, your IVF protocol and where you are in it. Bring blood results, scan reports, specialist letters and any cycle tracking you keep. You have your first treatment in the same session. Follow-ups are $100 and run 45 to 60 minutes. See appointments and fees for the full list.

There is no standard package. Maria makes an initial recommendation based on your symptoms, IVF stage, schedule, preferences and budget, then reviews it with you. You might choose care during stimulation, around transfer, during the two-week wait, between cycles, or only when a particular concern arises. Maria works Sundays and can arrange appointments outside standard hours to fit monitoring and transfer scheduling. More detail sits on the IVF support service page.

Maria came to Chinese medicine as a patient, through unexplained infertility and IVF. She knows the monitoring appointments and the two-week waits from the inside. That experience informs the understanding, flexibility and continuity she brings to care. Her professional background is on the team page.

What should you ask any acupuncture practitioner?

These questions can help you find care that is registered, transparent, collaborative and suited to your priorities.

1. 01

   Are you registered with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia?

   Registration under AHPRA is mandatory to practise as a Chinese medicine practitioner in Australia. You can search the public register yourself, and you should.

2. 02

   How do you talk about fertility outcomes?

   We do not guarantee conception, pregnancy or live birth. We explain what the research can and cannot establish, then focus on the concerns and support that matter to you during treatment.

3. 03

   Which studies are you relying on, and what did they use as a control group?

   A clear answer should distinguish placebo-controlled trials from trials that compared acupuncture with no additional treatment, because the control group changes how a result should be interpreted.

4. 04

   What exactly are you treating?

   The practitioner should be able to describe a clear, individual focus, such as symptoms, sleep, muscular tension or how you are coping, and explain when a concern belongs with your fertility clinic.

5. 05

   What will this cost in total, and when would you tell me to stop?

   Ask for a recommendation, likely cost and a review point before you begin. You should be able to continue, change frequency or stop according to whether the care is useful to you.

6. 06

   What are the side effects?

   A balanced answer should include possible effects such as bruising, tiredness, dizziness, nausea or temporary discomfort, as well as anything in your history that may change treatment.

7. 07

   Will you communicate with my fertility specialist?

   Yes should be the answer, without hesitation, and without any suggestion of working around your clinic.

8. 08

   Do you prescribe Chinese herbs alongside IVF, and has my clinic agreed?

   Herbs carry interaction risks that needling does not. This is a question for your fertility specialist before it is a question for your acupuncturist.

How strong is the evidence, finding by finding?

Everything on this page in one place, sorted by how much weight each finding can carry. Confidence intervals are in brackets. Where an interval crosses 1.00, the result is not statistically significant.

This page is general information, not medical advice for your situation. It does not replace the advice of your fertility specialist or GP. Acupuncture at this clinic is provided by practitioners registered with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia under AHPRA.