Acupuncture for Stress and Fertility

The Relationship Between Stress and Fertility

Couples who are having trouble getting pregnant are likely to experience stress and anxiety. This stress may increase the longer the couple keeps trying without success. While there may be no link between short term stress and infertility, ongoing stress may hinder the conception journey. For some women, long-term stress may interfere with ovulation, thereby creating difficulties with conception. When a woman is stressed signals to the hypothalamus may be altered thereby interfering with hormones that trigger monthly egg release by the ovaries. Ovulation cycles thus become more inconsistent. This makes planning for conception more stressful, completing a vicious cycle. Women experiencing higher levels of stress while undergoing IVF may have a smaller success margin as discovered in a study by the University of California.

Acupuncture may help with IVF treatment. fertility and stress

The infertility struggle is a heavy burden to bear. Depending on the cause of infertility, various conventional treatments are available such as surgery and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). However these options may be financially unavailable to a lot of people. There are alternative treatment methods available, either instead of, or to support conventional treatments. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may significantly improve conception rates. TCM may also be useful in treating stress during fertility treatment, thereby increasing the chances of success, and making the journey easier to cope with.

Understanding Infertility

In TCM, the human body is a system of interconnected and interdependent organs. Stress hormones affect each of the organs including those in the reproductive system. Stress disrupts the delicate balance that exists in the endocrine system. Stressful states use up progesterone which is needed to thicken the uterus wall. This disruption in balance is capable of stopping a woman from ovulating. For men, stress affects sperm count and quality. Fertility drugs that attempt to restore this balance for women may be successful to an extent, but come with side effects like weight gain and fluid retention.

Acupuncture for Fertility

Acupuncture acupressure

Acupuncture is a treatment method in which tiny needles are inserted into the skin at various points on the body to stimulate Qi (energy) flow. These points are along the meridians (paths) through which Qi flows. Acupuncture takes an holistic approach towards addressing health issues. TCM practitioners know that physical and mental health are linked, so the patient’s whole wellbeing needs to be treated together. Health issues are caused by energy blockages and imbalances within the body, so acupuncture aims to restore balance and energy flow.

Acupuncture may be performed on women anytime from pre-conception all the way to up to the end of pregnancy. One aim in acupuncture for fertility is to increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. Acupuncture and TCM aim to restore the organs to a state of balance so that the body is better able to conceive and sustain a healthy pregnancy. Couples who are stressed about failed conception attempts may also benefit from acupuncture to help in relaxation and balancing of physical and mental health. Less stress may mean a better chance of conception.

Women undergoing IVF treatment may find acupuncture helpful alongside IVF to help improve the chance of success and to help relieve the stress involved. Acupuncture may also be used to treat the side effects caused by drugs or medical procedures.

For men, general energy levels, cardiovascular health, and reduced stress are all important pre-conception and acupuncture may help with all of these. Acupuncture may help to improve sperm count, quality and motility.

The Research

acupuncture research

A study by Yoon Frederiksen et al., Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men, aimed to assess how interventions helped with reducing stress and improving pregnancy rates. 39 studies were assessed and significant effects were found for both clinical pregnancy and combined psychological outcomes. The study showed that greater reductions in anxiety and stress were associated with an improvement in pregnancy rates.

Another study, The relationship between perceived stress, acupuncture, and pregnancy rates among IVF patients: a pilot study (Judith Balk et al.), studied 57 infertile patients undergoing IVF in order to determine the effect of acupuncture on stress levels correlated with pregnancy rates. 64.7% pregnancy was achieved by those who received the acupuncture treatment while only 42.5% was achieved by those who did not. There was also a lower stress score on the former, with a decrease in stress correlating to higher pregnancy rates.

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Balk, J., Catov, J., Horn, B., Gecsi, K., & Wakim, A. (2010). The relationship between perceived stress, acupuncture, and pregnancy rates among IVF patients: a pilot study. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 16(3), 154-157.

Frederiksen, Y., Farver-Vestergaard, I., Skovgård, N. G., Ingerslev, H. J., & Zachariae, R. (2015). Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open, 5(1), e006592.

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.