1st acupuncture appt scheduled and a ?

[Emily'sMom]

I decided a while back that I wanted to try accupuncture in connection with an upcoming donor egg cycle and I finally made my first appt!!! I briefly spoke to the acupuncturist about it and he said my first appt will be an hour and a half. I forget if it's 1 hour information gathering and 1/2 hour accupuncture or vice-versa. He said the optimal results come from 3 months of acu. YIKES!!! I was hoping to cycle end of april/early May but may get pushed to late May/early June (sigh). He said this early he would probably start me at every other week. We didn't get into specifics because I think the treatment plan will be fine tuned after our initial visit. This would be a lot more appts than I was really expecting. And although his prices are extremely reasonable I can see this adding up fast. I haven't said a word to dh b/c he'll be really sceptical about it.

For those of you that have used accupuncture - what was your protocol and how many visits did you end up doing for your cycle? Did you have a successful cycle? If so, do you think the acupuncture helped? Did you use donor eggs or your own?

I'm already anxious about my appt (which isn't until the 18th) because it's really starting to hit me that we're actually going to be doing this! I'm still in shock that dh came around and agreed to give this a chance.

Looking forward to your experiences.

Ellen

[genie]

I started weekly acupuncture in Feb 2004. My lining increased, my periods were redder and stronger (sorry, tmi!) and my thyroid levels became normal. My acupuncturist came with me to my IVF retrievals and transfers. Unfortunately, both were bfn but we know now that my egg quality is diminished and DE is our next step. I still go to acupuncture every week and I believe it helps my lining and my cycles overall. It has also helped alleviate a lot of the stress IF brings.

I hope you enjoy the experience and have a successful upcoming cycle!!

[hbby]

If the acupuncturist you are going to doesn't have the same goals or timeline you do, maybe you should look for another - that's what I had to do. The first one I went to recommended that I push back my cycle for a couple of months for his treatments. I started treatment a couple of months before and when it came closer to transfer I was in every week. I had to tell my new acupuncturist what worked for me and we followed that. The type of job I have doesn't allow me to take a lot of time off. I was thankful because our insurance mostly covered it. Look at your coverage and if your acupuncturist accepts it. I think acupuncture did wonders for me mentally and physically. My RE doesn't require it but he does recommend it. Best of luck!!

[50/50]

I had acupunture treatments once a week for 3 mos prior to an ivf cycle using my own eggs. Similar to one of the other posts, my period became lighter, brighter and shorter, fsh levels dropped from 11 to 6, my lining was the thickest it's every been-13, my eggs made it to 8 celled although we did not get preg I think it did help a lot. If I would have known about acupunture when I started this journey I would have definately done it sooner. Now that I am doing a donor cycle my acupunturist only requires that I come in every 3 weeks. But prior to my ivf transfer I went in almost every other day to coincide with my ultrasounds and to make sure my lining was getting thick. I also went in 4 days after transfer. I was also given herbs (had to stop taking during cycling per RE) and told to stay away from cold food/drinks, keep my feet/legs warm (I guess the reproductive meridians are located in your feet?).

There is a book called "The Infertility Cure" about acupunture and herbs. I recommend it highly.

Is your acupunturist trained in China in Traditional Chinese Medicine? This was important to me cuz I wanted to go to someone that knew what he was doing.

Good luck!

[Emily'sMom]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and thoughts on the subject.

Jeanmarie - Sorry to hear your previous cycles didn't work but I'm glad to see you've decided to continue using donor eggs. Wishing you tons of luck on your future DE cycle!

hbby - the acupuncturist wasn't suggesting I push out our schedule. He just said 3 months was optimal. He commented that he gets a ton of calls from people saying I'm having my transfer next week, etc. There's only 2 acupuncturists around here that my RE recommends. The one I'll be going to happens to be less than 10 minutes from my house The other is about 45 minutes away. The reason our cycle might get pushed out is due to the fact we're a little behind in completing our screening I'll be starting bcp in a couple weeks but we probably won't be able to look at profiles now until late March (at the earliest) or early April. Congrats again on conceiving twins!!!!

50/50 - I'll have to check out that book. I doubt he was trained in China but my RE did recommend him. But I do think about that. One of the things I was worried about is it possible to make things worse if they put the needle in the wrong place, etc. But that's just my inexperience talking as I've never had acu before. I guess I'll find out in a couple weeks.

Did you find immediate changes in your cycles? I'm just curious because I'll probably be going in for my cd3 b/w & u/s just a couple days after my first appt.

Thanks again,
Ellen

[flicka7]

Hi Ellen!

I did accupuncture with 3 of my cycles including this last successful one. I started 4 weeks before retrieval, going twice a week. My appts only last about 30-40 mins. The day of transfer, I had a treatment right before and right after. And that was it.

I pulled a muscle in my back about 2 weeks before transfer this time, so I added 15-30 minutes of spot massage to my treatments. Took care of my back, but I also think it helped to relax me. Felt great anyway!

Personally, I don't like accupuncture, but I was willing to do it all if it meant a successful outcome.

Good Luck to you, I hope you find something that works for you!

Kim

[50/50]

Hi Ellen,

I saw immediate change in my periods (color chge, heaviness, duration). I don't think I was tested immediately for my fsh levels so I'm not sure about that one.

I'm not sure about it doing any harm but if they aren't doing it right then it would be a waste of time and money. You should ask him about his statistics/successes and see if you can speak to some of his patients. Just a thought.

Good luck!