Hi, I’m Rachel Sherriff and I’m an acupuncturist specialising in fertility. I came to acupuncture through my own fertility journey when I had acupuncture throughout my last and successful round of IVF and then again after my son to help with some health concerns. I found it so beneficial that I retrained to become an acupuncturist and set up The Fertility Suite, based in Oxted, Surrey. We support many couples on the path to parenthood which can look very different for everyone!

The science behind acupuncture for fertility

Acupuncture is one of those things that unless you have actually tried, can be hard to understand how it actually works. Acupuncture is rooted in both eastern medicine and science. Your body is one big electro magnetic field and it’s constantly sending messages from one part to another to make it function correctly. The nervous system is the main way it does this. When you insert an acupuncture needle into an acupuncture point you are affecting the local nervous system, this then sends a message to the Central Nervous System (the brain). From here, your brain send signals to your bodies other systems, such as your digestive system, your reproductive systems and your endocrine system, which looks after your hormones.

Let’s simplify that

I often liken acupuncture to a tube map, in acupuncture we talk about meridians which are different pathways used to connect different parts of the body. These pathways could be the different tube lines and the acupuncture points are the stations, they are areas where different meridians meet and cross and things can get stuck or not move properly.

What conditions can acupuncture affect from a fertility perspective?

Acupuncture has been shown to improve blood flow to the uterus and pelvic cavity and reduce pain in conditions such as endometriosis or painful periods. For fertility it works on something called the hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis which is the communication between the brain and the ovary. This means we can help to affect your hormone balance and therefore your overall reproductive health. Studies have also shown that when acupuncture was used alongside an IVF cycle, there was a 50% increase in the live birth rate! Even if you have unexplained infertility or are not sure what is causing your fertility issues, we can help address underlying issues. This is because we will also diagnose you using your symptoms and the subtle clues your body gives us.

How do we diagnose in Chinese Medicine?

We are masters at observing your body, we will take your pulse, look at your tongue and feel certain areas of your body. For example, for fertility we will always feel your lower abdomen. We are checking for temperature changes in different areas, areas of tension or pain and looking at the colour of the skin. We then use all of the information your body has given us and combine it with the information we have from a western medicine perspective and formulate a bespoke treatment plan for you. An acupuncturist will select acupuncture points to use based on what they want to tell your body to do and actually your body is doing all the work we are just nudging it to do what we think it needs to do.

What to expect at fertility acupuncture appointment

We will usually talk for around 40 minutes at your first appointment as there will be lots of questions we want to ask, we then move on to the diagnostics and you will get to relax on the couch. Once we have decided on a treatment plan we will talk you through the process of acupuncture. It normally involves inserting between 6 -16 or so needles in different parts of your body, these are very fine thin needles and are pain free. You may feel a heavy dull sensation and start to relax. Once the needles are all set we will wrap you up as much as we can with blankets to keep you warm and then let you relax for around 20 minutes. We tend to play relaxing music and if you would like the eye mask then that often allows you to completely switch off and rest. After the appointment we would advise that you take it fairly easy, no strenuous exercise, heavy meals or alcohol. You may feel a little tired but normally after a good sleep most women feel more energised the next day.

How often should I come for acupuncture to optimise my fertility?

We recommend weekly treatments over a three month period. This is because it takes three months for your eggs to be recruited and matured before they are ovulated so this timeframe is how we have the most benefit. We also see the best improvements in patients who attend weekly sessions. As a minimum we recommend once in eac