Evidence-Informed Fertility Care in Eau Claire
Eau Claire Acupuncture specializes in treating fertility naturally and providing complementary care to increase the success rate of fertility treatments such as IVF or IUI.
Our clinic’s practice is grounded in Traditional Chinese Medicine, integrated with modern fertility treatments, to give you the most comprehensive, evidence-informed care possible.
Our goal is to help demystify the information you may encounter throughout your fertility journey and provide a clear, professional perspective, backed by both research and experience.
Struggling to understand the research on IVF / IUI paired with acupuncture?
When you’re on your fertility journey, we know that there is so much information to digest and try to understand that it can become overwhelming. We’ve taken the time to closely analyze the most respected scientific research on how acupuncture impacts IVF and IUI outcomes. What we’ve found, and what we use to inform our clinical practice, is based on objective data, real results, and trusted protocols.
If you’ve Googled “Does acupuncture help IVF?” you’ve probably seen a mix of answers. That’s because results vary across studies depending on:
- The type and frequency of acupuncture used
- The timing in relation to the IVF cycle
- The qualifications of the practitioner
- The type of control used in the trial
At Eau Claire Acupuncture, we don’t just pull any stat from the internet, rather we look at clinical trials that reflect repeatable, high-quality methods administered by trained professionals in Traditional Chinese Medicine. These are the studies that form the basis of our treatment protocols.
The Scientific Standards and the Fertility Approach at Eau Claire Acupuncture
The Standard:
The 2002 Paulus study is a baseline statistic we like to share with patients, which has become the standard in both a protocol for treating fertility alongside IVF or IUI, as well as a trusted statistic to share with patients across the board.
This study reported a 42.5% pregnancy rate in women who received acupuncture during IVF, compared to just 26.3% in the non-acupuncture group.
Another clinical trial (Gillerman et al., 2019) used a standardized protocol developed by 15 acupuncturists specializing in IVF.
The study showed a 42% pregnancy rate in the acupuncture group, compared to 15.9% in those who did not receive acupuncture—a statistically significant difference.
We want statistics shared with our patients to come directly from the clinical literature and reflect studies that establish a defined, repeatable, and trusted protocol.
How we interpret Clinical Trials
You may also see broader reports that summarize multiple trials, known as meta-analyses. These provide helpful overviews of general trends across many studies and offer a wider lens on how acupuncture supports IVF or IUI.
A comprehensive meta-analysis (Xie et al., 2019) found that acupuncture is effective in improving IVF outcomes. This 2019 study summarizes 67 studies, which included 6,116 individuals. It found that acupuncture was effective in improving IVF outcomes overall, and especially effective for women who had previously experienced unsuccessful IVF cycles.
In fact, women in a group where 50% had experienced failed IVF attempts were 60% more likely to achieve pregnancy than those not receiving acupuncture. This study also acknowledges that many studies across the literature find inconclusive evidence for IVF due to poor reporting or methodological flaws. The studies included in this meta-analysis underwent a rigorous quality assessment prior to inclusion.
Another clinical trial summary reports that there is a clinically significant 30% increased chance of improved reproductive outcome in patients receiving acupuncture (Smith, et al., 2012). This study does note that when compared against sham acupuncture, which is the control (or no effect) group, the findings are insignificant.
This is due to the fact that a control group across most clinical trials (as included in this review) is not an effective null, as the control applied often generates a physiological effect in the individual, effectively serving as acupressure in many cases.
Acupressure, or applied pressure at specific acupoints, has been shown to be clinically effective in treating various conditions (Stener-Victorin; Manheimer, 2012). Therefore, from our applied TCM background and perspective, many clinical trials report null findings because the control group does not accurately represent a true “null” effect, which in turn impacts the study’s findings when comparing them against the control.
Our Approach to IVF and IUI Support
At Eau Claire Acupuncture, our approach to fertility care is never one-size-fits-all. We create highly individualized treatment plans based on your unique body, fertility history, and goals.
Your plan is developed and delivered by licensed acupuncturists with advanced training in fertility and reproductive health. In addition to acupuncture, we may recommend supportive therapies such as herbs, supplements, nutritional guidance, or lifestyle coaching, all designed to optimize your body’s readiness for pregnancy.
This level of personalization is one reason we see such powerful results, especially when acupuncture is integrated with IVF or IUI.
We also ensure that any statistics we share about success rates are based on trusted, peer-reviewed studies that employ repeatable protocols accepted by the broader scientific and TCM communities (Wang et al., 2022).
If you want to understand more about the science behind it, we break down the specific mechanisms, like hormone regulation, blood flow to the uterus, and stress reduction, in our blog post here: Why Acupuncture Works for Fertility → .
It’s the “how” behind the success you see in the numbers.
Ready to take the next step?
Schedule your fertility consultation here or visit our website to learn more about our specialized, integrative approach to IVF and IUI support—backed by clinical experience, trusted research, and thousands of years of Traditional Chinese Medicine wisdom.
Real results behind the science!
References
Smith, C. A., Armour, M., Shewamene, Z., Tan, H. Y., Norman, R. J., & Johnson, N. P. (2019). Acupuncture performed around the time of embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 38(3), 364-379.
Victorin, S., & E-Manheimer, E. (2011). Commentary On The Cochrane Review Of Acupuncture And Assisted Conception. Cochrane CAM Field EXPLORE, 7(2).
Paulus, W. E., Zhang, M., Strehler, E., El-Danasouri, I., & Sterzik, K. (2002). Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertility and sterility, 77(4), 721-724.
Xie, Z. Y., Peng, Z. H., Yao, B., Chen, L., Mu, Y. Y., Cheng, J., … & Xia, Y. B. (2019). The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 19(1), 131.
Gillerman, K., Kulkarni, A., Shah, A., Gudi, A., & Homburg, R. (2018). The impact of acupuncture on IVF success rates: A randomised controlled trial. Fertility Science and Research, 5(2), 48-54.
Wang, Y., Shen, X., Hu, Y. F., & Sodders, R. (2022). The limitation of randomized control trials on the influence of acupuncture and in vitro fertilization: a literature review. Medical Acupuncture, 34(1), 24-33.
