As a board-certified Fertility Acupuncturist, my entire practice is devoted to doing everything I can to enhance fertility, pregnancy and resulting live births. During free consultations with potential patients, they frequently ask this question..."So, what are your success rates?" I always expect this question and I try hard to give an informed answer.
Many of my patients are also working with an IVF clinic in addition to seeking out acupuncture to enhance their fertility and IVF clinics are required to post their success rates in a national database. Patients that are looking for an IVF clinic can look this information up to make an informed decision on which IVF clinic offers them the biggest chance of success. Understandably, patients want to do everything they can to increase their chances for a baby. When they seek out fertility acupuncture, they equally want to know how successful our clinic has been. Some are also very anxious and concerned about finances as IVF is expensive or they have some needle anxiety and don't know what to expect.
In an IVF clinic, patients are given a specific protocol that is under strict control in which results, timing and fertility drugs that are given can be reliably measured and results accurately assessed. This allows for a clear reporting of success rates. In a Fertility Acupuncture clinic, it is quite different. We are treating patients under the lens of Traditional Chinese medicine and our methods are much more holistic. There are many moving parts, some of which are patient compliance with taking the herbs and supplements, frequency, regularity and length of acupuncture appointments, lifestyle factors that are not under our control, stresses from job/family and also diet, caffeine and alcohol intake. I can reliably tell you that when patients start coming for acupuncture weekly, they start feeling better, they report better mood, deeper sleep, less anxiety, less painful periods, more energy etc. In addition we are enhancing their fertility by rejuvenating their reproductive and endocrine systems. At times we are preparing them to conceive naturally, at other times they have had a failed FET and want to add acupuncture before their next one. Sometimes they have had a prior loss and are trying again and hopeful that acupuncture can help them bring a baby home.
With all of that said, I have been practicing Fertility Acupuncture since March of 2020. Currently,16 patients have had live births and 9 patients are currently 18-28 weeks pregnant. I typically keep seeing patients throughout their pregnancies to help with pregnancy symptoms, breech presentations and labor preparation/cervical ripening. If you'd like to see the beautiful faces of the babies this clinic has helped with please visit our baby gallery.
