Acupuncture for
Natural Fertility & IVF Support
Jerusha Stephens, LAc, FABORM, is the only Mississippi acupuncturist to earn a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine, which distinguishes her as an integrative specialist in helping men and women facing fertility issues.
For those requiring Assisted Reproductive Therapy, Jerusha works closely with a number of local OBGYNs and reproductive specialists to provide support for fertility treatments. She also sees patients who want to try other options before seeking care from a fertility specialist.
Jerusha has provided many people with natural ways to increase fertility and achieve their dream of conceiving and having a healthy baby with the use of acupuncture, herbal formulas, dietary counseling, and mind-body techniques. In all cases, Jerusha focuses on treating the whole patient. As a result you will not only experience an improvement in your specific condition but better overall health and sense of wellbeing.
“Jerusha always focused on it being fertility…not infertility.”
-Suzanne W.
Preconception
Chinese medicine and acupuncture offer you natural ways to increase fertility during the critical three to six months before conception.
Our preconception program is an option for women who simply want to boost their fertility naturally, for women that have been unsuccessful with IVF and want to try a natural alternative, or for women who want to ensure their body is in the best condition to conceive before trying IVF again. It uses a blend of diet therapy, lifestyle counseling, mind-body techniques, herbal formulas and acupuncture to balance your hormones, improve your fertility, and boost your overall health and well being.
Natural Fertility
If you are trying to conceive naturally, or with medication or IUI, our recommendation is to have three treatments a month, two before ovulation, and one after. This helps focus the body’s attention and circulation on the reproductive organs, nourish follicular development, reduce stress and regulate the menstrual cycle.
The expectation for spontaneous pregnancy to occur during the preconception program for natural fertility is within three to six months.
If you are not pregnant in that time frame, your body will be at an optimal place for more aggressive medical treatment, like IVF.
“Our fertility doctors had told us that it was a long shot… But we wanted to try, and we thought that adding acupuncture would be definitely our best bet at having a successful IVF.
Before we could take the first IVF drug, we found out that we were pregnant with Sally.”
-Leigh Anne
When to Use Chinese Medicine with IVF
For best results, acupuncture should be used before and during IVF. Jerusha recommends 6-8 weeks of weekly treatments in advance of your egg retrieval to maximize the benefits of acupuncture for use in conjunction with IVF. She also likes to monitor your progress during the stimulation phase of your IVF. Ideally, she aims to see you again before your embryo transfer. Continuing acupuncture after your embryo transfer is optional.
Acupuncture is safe during pregnancy in the hands of a highly-skilled acupuncturist, and can be used on an as-needed basis. If you have a history of recurrent pregnancy loss, Jerusha recommends continued treatment through the first trimester. For Frozen Embryo Transfers, Jerusha recommends three weekly treatments, with the last treatment at least forty-eight hours prior to your scheduled transfer, if possible.
Jerusha has helped many people achieve their dream of conceiving and having a healthy baby. Here are some of her success stories.
How does Chinese Medicine help improve IVF success?
It may increase blood flow to the uterus and increase the thickness of the uterine lining.
It may help improve circulation to the ovaries, nourishing the follicles as they mature.
It may aid in preventing uterine contractions during embryo transfer.
It relaxes the patient and helps reduce stress.
It diminishes the side-effects of the IVF medications.
It can improve male sperm factors.
