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■Can Acupuncture Help You Get Pregnant?

While getting poked and prodded might not seem like the most appealing way to boost your fertility, some research has shown that acupuncture may help women conceive. It doesn't hurt that it also may relieve stress and help you relax, which also may increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Acupuncture works by stimulating nerve endings deep below the surface of the skin. By manipulating the needles in conjunction with gentle electrical stimulation (a practice known as electropuncture), your nerves are activated, helping your body release substances called endorphins. This can have positive effects on fertility, including relieving any stress and depression that may be weighing you down.

■Can acupuncture boost your fertility and help you get pregnant?

The verdict is still out on whether acupuncture does increase fertility, but some research is promising. A small study found that acupuncture performed before and after an in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo transfer were more likely than women who just made lifestyle changes to get pregnant. A review of 23 studies showed that acupuncture improved the chances of conceiving in women undergoing IVF, although this finding remains controversial.

■What are the benefits of trying acupuncture for fertility?

Acupuncture has been shown to help reduce depression, which can be a problem for women struggling with infertility. It can also decrease stress and anxiety that can contribute to fertility problems. What's more, high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) have been shown to increase the risk of miscarriage in women once they become pregnant.

■Are there any risks of doing acupuncture when you’re trying to conceive?

The practice is usually safe, but it's important to seek out a certified and licensed professional who's familiar with infertility care. Ask your reproductive endocrinologist if he or she can refer you to anyone. As an extra precaution, ask to look at the needles that will be used in your treatment to make sure they’re individually packaged, single-use needles. Doctors and acupuncturists should use an alcohol swab on the skin each time they insert needles.

■Success rates of doing acupuncture.

Success rates aren’t set in stone because some studies have shown that acupuncture helps increase fertility, especially in women who are having trouble conceiving, while other studies haven't shown any increase. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that acupuncture only caused a negligible (around 1 percent) increase in pregnancy outcomes, but other research has shown that acupuncture in conjunction with other fertility treatments increases success rates by 50 percent.
Again, many of these are small pilot studies; larger, controlled studies still need to be done. However, there are few if any studies showing that acupuncture has a negative impact on fertility or treatment outcomes.

■Should you try acupuncture during pregnancy too?

Yes, acupuncture, like massage, can be helpful when you’re pregnant. Acupuncture seems to have the ability to alleviate some of the undesirable symptoms of pregnancy like morning sickness, fatigue and depression. Some research has shown that in pregnant women who did depression-focused acupuncture, the treatment reduced symptoms by 63 percent.
It’s not completely clear whether acupuncture is effective at increasing fertility, but it has been shown to help with the depression and anxiety that can make trying to get pregnant more difficult. It’s also been shown to help women who are already undergoing IVF have better outcomes. And while it’s often not covered by insurance, the cost of acupuncture compared to fertility treatments like IVF is minor. If there’s a possibility that acupuncture will boost your chances of getting pregnant or at least lift some of the stress you're dealing with, it may be worth a try.

■Moxibustion during pregnancy.

Moxibustion works on the same basic principles as acupuncture, but instead of actually puncturing your skin with a needle, long sticks of the mugwort herb are burned near certain acupuncture points along your body. Both the heat from the burning and properties of the herb itself are thought to provide physical benefits. Some studies have shown that daily sessions of moxibustion (either alone or combined with acupuncture) can increase fetal activity and therefore help turn a baby from a breech position to the more delivery-friendly heads-down position. However, some others studies have found moxibustion to be no more effective than doing nothing.