It depends a lot on what you're working with. The most rigorous studies — including a Cochrane review and the largest placebo-controlled trials ever run — haven't shown acupuncture beats a sham treatment for getting pregnant on its own. Where the evidence looks more promising, even if still early, is as a support alongside IVF, especially with a multi-week course rather than a single visit. We'll always be upfront with you about what the research does and doesn't show for your specific situation.

No — and please don't stop or adjust anything your fertility doctor has you on without talking to them first. Acupuncture is designed to work alongside your medical care, not instead of it.

Research points toward starting a course of sessions several weeks before egg retrieval, rather than relying on a single session the day of your transfer — that single-session approach has the weakest evidence of any protocol studied so far.

Some clinical research has found acupuncture associated with improvements in sperm concentration and motility, though the studies are small and a separate review reached the opposite conclusion — we position this as a potential complement to a couple's fertility care, not a replacement for a medical fertility workup.

Acupuncture is one of the more studied areas for PCOS specifically, including one of the largest placebo-controlled acupuncture trials ever run — that trial didn't find acupuncture better than a sham treatment for pregnancy on its own, but newer research suggests it may help as a complement during IVF.

Honestly, no study has directly measured egg quality with acupuncture — we won't claim that. What the research does show is a possible, modest link to more eggs retrieved in some studies, and acupuncture can be a genuinely supportive part of your self-care routine during a fertility-preservation or IVF cycle.

We're so sorry you're going through that. There isn't research showing acupuncture prevents pregnancy loss, so we won't tell you it will — but many clients find it a supportive, grounding part of their self-care routine alongside the medical care team guiding what's next for them.

Acupuncture needles are hair-thin, nothing like an injection needle, and most clients find sessions relaxing. Always tell your Healer what stage of treatment you're in (stimulation, just after retrieval, early pregnancy) so they can adjust the session appropriately.