Acupuncture for IVF
A support plan that begins months before your cycle and stays with you through transfer day and beyond.
Chinese medicine is used alongside IVF to help the body respond to a cycle: reducing the harmful effects of stress hormones, supporting the hormonal function that governs ovulation, and increasing blood flow to the uterus. Treatment is timed to your clinic’s protocol and adjusted as you go.
Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM, is board certified by the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM) and works closely with the top reproductive endocrinologists in South Florida.
Reviewed by Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM. Last reviewed September 2026.
Where Acupuncture
Fits Into IVF
Our IVF support plan begins months before your procedure. Treatments differ from patient to patient and are based on each person's situation, so the first step is a consultation and a plan built around your cycle dates.
Before a cycle, Chinese medicine works to reduce the harmful effects of stress hormones, support hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function, and increase blood flow to the uterus. Acupuncture also supports immune function and sperm quality and quantity.
During the cycle itself, acupuncture is typically performed once or twice a week to manage the uncomfortable side effects that may occur, reduce stress, and help the body integrate the cycle.
In a study at the Christian-Lauritzen-Institute in Ulm, Germany, the group that received acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer had a 42.5% rate of conception, compared with 26.3% in the group that had the transfer alone. Acupuncture on transfer day is part of our plan for that reason.
Wherever you are in the process, the plan meets you there and moves with your cycle.
Stress hormones work against a cycle. Acupuncture reduces their harmful effects before and during IVF.
Increasing blood flow to the uterus supports implantation, both in the lead-up to transfer and in the days after it.
Treatment supports the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and helps balance hormone levels while the body is responding to a cycle.
Once or twice a week during the cycle to manage uncomfortable side effects, and directly after transfer to help the body regain its balance.
Wherever you are in the IVF process, there is a place for treatment, from months before a cycle to the first trimester.
Dr. Schiff has treated patients through IVF for over 20 years, and treatments range from patient to patient. The consultation is where we find out where you are and build a plan that fits your cycle and your clinic's protocol.
Before a Cycle
Treatment can start as close as one week before an IVF cycle and as far out as three months, to prepare the body to respond.
During the Cycle
Acupuncture once or twice a week to manage side effects, lower stress, and help the body integrate the cycle.
Day of Embryo Transfer
Acupuncture before and after your transfer, on site at your fertility clinic where the clinic allows it, to support implantation and the chances of conception.
After the Transfer
In the days directly following, treatment can help reduce side effects, regain balance, and further support implantation.
Between Cycles
After a failed IVF, two weeks to three months of treatment to help the body recuperate and prepare for the next cycle.
During Pregnancy
Through the first twelve weeks, when the risk of miscarriage is highest, to help ease first-trimester symptoms, continuing to full term if you choose.
Questions patients askwhen they add acupuncture to an IVF cycle.
Treatment can begin as close as one week before your cycle and as far out as three months. A longer runway gives more time to work on stress hormones, blood flow, and hormonal function, but a shorter one is still worth doing. Tell us your cycle dates and we plan backward from them.
Typically once or twice a week during the cycle, timed to your clinic's protocol, to manage the side effects that may come with the medication and to keep stress down. Then acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer, and again directly after it.
In a study at the Christian-Lauritzen-Institute in Ulm, Germany, the group that received acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer had a 42.5% rate of conception versus 26.3% in the group that did not. That is one study's result, not a promise about any individual cycle, but it is why transfer day treatment is part of our plan. Where your clinic allows it, Dr. Schiff treats you on site, before and after the transfer, so you do not have to travel that day.
Yes. We work closely with the top reproductive endocrinologists in South Florida and are fluent in the protocols patients go through, so your acupuncture schedule follows your clinic's calendar rather than competing with it.
Chinese medicine can help the body recuperate between cycles through its effect on the reproductive system. Treatment ranges from two weeks to three months before the next cycle, depending on your situation and how much time your clinic has planned between them.
Yes. Coverage for acupuncture varies by plan, so we can verify your benefits before you arrive. Complete the online form on our New Patient Forms page and we will contact you as soon as your benefits are established.
Where to next?
Transfer Day Acupuncture
Specialty
On site at your fertility clinic, before and after the transfer.
Explore the specialtyPreparing for IVF or IUI
Common concern
Before, during, and after your cycle.
Start from the concernWhen during an IVF cycle should acupuncture be done?
Learn More
The three windows are before stimulation, during it, and on transfer day, with a session within 24 hours before transfer and one within 24 hours after.
Read the answer
Start before
your cycle does.
Tell us your cycle dates and where you are in the process. After 20 years of working alongside IVF, we know where to begin.
All visits are by appointment only, in the office, at your clinic, at home, or by video.