1st acupuncture appt scheduled & a ?

[Emily'sMom]

(same as on Donor board)

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 reading about your experiences. Thanks.

Ellen

[AmyLeigh]

Hey Ellen...

I have been receiving Acupuncture now for about 3 yrs.... I usually start getting it about 2-3 months before any stim/ret/trans. My Acupunturist has me come weekly ($60.00 a whack!)... the appt lasts, w/needles in, about 1 hr.
My first appt with her lasted about 1 1/2 hrs.... she tested somethings in my fingers/hands, looked at my tongue, felt my pulses and felt around my abdomen.

I have not been successful with my cycles (due to egg/embie issues).... but, I do believe that the Acupuncture DID help with my Uterine Lining and Relaxation issues.... my Lining in the past was around 8... with Acupuncture, it got to 9 and 9.5

This cycle we are doing DE IVF... and I feel really good mentally and physically... and I attribute alot of that to Acupuncture. She is REALLY focusing on my Uterine Lining !!

+++++++++++luck to you !! Let us know how your Acup. goes !!

[Camel01]

Ellen,
I don't have any experience with it but I always thought I would love to try it. I am all for massages and chiropractic work too. It feels so good!
How much are you paying for yours if you don't mind me asking.
Also, I'm interested in knowing where they put the needles for IF patients.
I am really excited for you. I think this will be good.
Good Luck to you,
LeighAnn

[AmyLeigh]

LeighAnn...

For me, my Acupuncturist puts the needles in ....

1 on the top of my head... relaxation point
1 over each Ovary area
2 over my Uterine area
1 under each Rib Cage... help my stomach probs
1 at each wrist... blood flow
1 by each knee... blood flow
1 around each ankle...blood flow
1-2 in each ear.... blood flow
and sometimes:
1 above each eyebrow...helps my sinuses
1 in each crook of my elbows

Last week I had 26 needles in me !!

I also have weekly massages (thanks to DH for a Gift Cert for 6 of them!!).... and have some Reiki done.

[SomedayMommy]

Hi Ellen! I just got back from my acupuncture appointment. I absolutely love it.

I have been going every week for the past 2 months now. My first appointment was an hour information gathering and a half hour acupuncture.

This is my second IVF, but the first using acupuncture. I will be using my own eggs.

[Emily'sMom]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.

AmyLeigh - 26 needles???? Yikes. I was told they don't really hurt. Is that true? I'm a big time needle phob but I managed to do my own shots with the stim drugs so I'm sure I won't have a problem .. but the thought of it (eeks). I've been watching you for a while and are very anxious for you to cycle. You are incredibly supportive to everyone here on FT. I'm thinking positive thoughts for you and hope this cycle makes your dreams come true

Camel01 - He said the first appt will be $75 (11/2 hours) and then the follow ups will be $50. He didn't say how long the follow up appts are but I'm guessing an hour. He did say that I'd get a 15% discount b/c of my RE referral so I'm not sure if those prices are already discounted or not. From what I've seen those rates aren't too bad. I'll definately let you know how my first appt & others go.

Melbeth - Well that's definately encouraging!!! Thanks and best wishes for the remainder of your pregnancy!

Somedaymommy - That's too funny that you just got back from an appt Good luck with your cycle. How's your thumb doing? It stinks they didn't prescribe the multi-dose vial .. that's a breeze to use. I look forward to your updates.

Thanks again,
Ellen

[momwannabe]

Ellen,
I added acupuncture with my 3rd cycle. Started it when I started stims, went twice weekly and then before and after transfer, so about 6 sessions total. It was my only BFP. For my fourth cycle, I started it weekly when I started bcps and then upped it to twice a week during stims and then before and after transfer, and once during the 2ww. It was a BFN, but I think more due to probs I had while stimming with meds than anything else. I can tell you that I definitely felt a difference in my ability to relax and my stress level while doing it. My sessions were $85 a piece - so very expensive when all is said and done.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
Robin

[catmom]

This is my first cycle using acupuncture, and it's really too early to tell how much it has helped. (This is my 6th day of stims.) As of my u/s 2 days ago, I have good lining and 9 follies, but I don't remember how many I had at this point in my last IVF cycle.

I've been going twice a week for a month now ($80 per tx!), and I do feel it has helped with stress. I'm planning on having treatments before and after my transfer as well.

She changes the locations of the needles depending on where I am in my cycle, but generally she'll put them in the following places: on top of my head or between my eyebrows, on the tops of my hands between my thumb & index finger, on my abdomen & over my ovaries near the end of my cycle, just above my knees, on two points on my calves, on the tops of my feet and on the insides (and sometimes outsides) of my ankles. She also uses moxa (burning herbs placed on the ends of the needles) in the second half of my cycle.

I'm glad your DH is on board with it. I was also concerned about my DH's skepticism, but he's been great. The book "The Infertility Cure" is really informative on the subject of acupuncture (and Chinese medicine in general) as it relates to IF.

Good luck!

Catmom
Dx - endo
TTC #1 since 3/02
IUI x 6 (late 2003, late 2004) - BFN
IVF (1 fresh, 1 frozen) (early 2004) - BFN
IVF in March (started stims on 3/3)