Acupuncture Alongside IVF in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds: What the Research Shows and How It Fits Your Treatment

If you're in the middle of IVF, your week probably runs on a timetable that someone else wrote. Injections at the same time every evening, a box of medication in the fridge door, an early drive into Cheltenham for a scan before work, and a phone you check more often than you'd like to admit. Then someone mentions that their friend had acupuncture during IVF, and a new question lands on top of all the others: should I be doing that too?

I've worked with many people going through fertility treatment, and I trained specifically in gynaecology, fertility and obstetrics after qualifying. This article sets out what the research found, why I don't present acupuncture as something that raises your odds, and how I work with people who choose it anyway, for reasons that stand up to scrutiny.

How IVF usually works for people in the Cotswolds

Many local patients have their consultation, scans and monitoring at the Cotswold Fertility Unit in Cheltenham, which works as a satellite service with larger centres. Egg collection and embryo transfer then happen further away, often in Bristol, Birmingham or Oxford depending on which partner clinic you're with. That means some long drives at short notice, usually timed around a phone call telling you when to come in.

I mention this because it changes how any extra appointment should be planned. The last thing you need is another fixed booking that clashes with a scan or adds an hour in the car on transfer day. Anything I suggest is built around your clinic's schedule, never the other way round.

Why acupuncture became part of the IVF conversation

Interest started with a German study published in 2002, in which women given acupuncture before and after embryo transfer had a higher pregnancy rate than those who weren't. It was a small trial, and it didn't compare acupuncture with a convincing sham, but it spread quickly. By 2018, a patient survey by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK's fertility regulator, found acupuncture was one of the most commonly used IVF add-ons, used by around a quarter of respondents.

What the research has found since

Larger and better-designed trials followed, and they have not supported that early result. The most important is an Australian and New Zealand trial published in JAMA in 2018, which randomised 848 women to acupuncture or a sham procedure at the start of stimulation and around embryo transfer. Live birth rates were 18.3% in the acupuncture group and 17.8% in the sham group. That is no meaningful difference. Cochrane reviews of the wider evidence have reached similar conclusions about live birth.

So my position is straightforward. Acupuncture should not be chosen as a way to increase your chances of having a baby through IVF, and you should be wary of anyone who presents it that way. If the main reason you're considering it is a better result, that money is likely to be better spent elsewhere, possibly on your treatment itself.

The HFEA gives patients three questions to ask about any add-on: what it involves, how likely it is to improve your chance of success, and how much it costs. Those are good questions to ask me too, and I'd rather you went in with clear answers than with false hope.

Why some people still choose it

IVF asks a lot of people. There are the medications and procedures, and then there's everything around them: the waiting, the decisions, the conversations at work, the sense that your body has become a project managed by other people. Many of the people I see during treatment want a regular hour that belongs to them, with someone who understands the process and has time to listen. Many tell me they find the sessions deeply relaxing.

Those are fair reasons to book, as long as they're the reasons. Some people also come in the months before treatment starts, wanting to understand their cycle better and to feel more settled going in. My guide on period pain and irregular cycles explains how I look at the menstrual cycle, and it includes a simple tracking routine that's useful information for your clinic too.

Fertility involves two people, and I see men as well. If there's any concern on the male side, the first step is a semen analysis arranged through your GP or clinic. Acupuncture sits alongside that assessment, never instead of it.

“I’m so grateful for the care, kindness and support I received from Andrea throughout our IVF journey. The acupuncture sessions helped me feel calmer, more relaxed and supported during what was such an emotional and overwhelming time.”

How I plan sessions around your IVF cycle

Everything starts with your clinic's protocol and calendar. At the first appointment I'll take a full history, including your treatment so far, medication and the dates you've been given. From there, we agree a rhythm that fits your life, which might look something like this:

• Before stimulation begins. Weekly or fortnightly sessions, often alongside conversations about sleep, routine and how you're coping.
• During stimulation. Sessions fitted around your scan days, so you're not driving to Cheltenham and Upper Rissington on the same morning.
• Around transfer. Some people want a session close to transfer day. Given the travel involved, this often means the day before, or the next day once you're home. I'm open about the fact that the research doesn't support transfer-day timing as a way to change the outcome, so we plan around what is practical and restful.
• The two-week wait. Some people find a session helpful during this stretch, and some prefer to be left alone. Both are fine.

Please tell your clinic you're having acupuncture. If you've been taking Chinese herbs beforehand, they are usually paused once stimulation medication starts, unless your clinic is aware and agrees to them continuing. My guide to Chinese herbal medicine covers how I handle herbs alongside prescription medicines more generally.

What it costs, and how to keep it in proportion

IVF is expensive, whether you're self-funding or paying for extras around an NHS cycle. My initial acupuncture appointment is £76 and follow-ups are £56 (prices as of April 2026, listed on my prices page). When we start, I'll suggest a number of sessions with a clear total, so you can decide whether it fits your budget before you commit. If money is tight, I'd encourage you to prioritise your medical treatment. That's the most useful advice I can give.

If you'd like to know what a first appointment involves before booking, including what the needles feel like, read your first acupuncture appointment: what to expect. There's more about my wider work on the women's health page.

Frequently asked questions

Does acupuncture improve IVF success rates?

The best current evidence says no. The largest trial, published in JAMA in 2018 with 848 women, found live birth rates of 18.3% with acupuncture and 17.8% with a sham procedure, which is no meaningful difference. Acupuncture should not be chosen as a way to increase your chances of a live birth.

Why do people have acupuncture during IVF?

Many people want regular, unhurried time with someone who understands the IVF process, and many find sessions relaxing during a demanding few months. Wellbeing and support are reasonable reasons to choose it, as long as you are clear it is not a way to improve the medical outcome.

Should I tell my fertility clinic I'm having acupuncture?

Yes. Your clinic should know about any treatment, supplement or herbal medicine you are using. Chinese herbs are usually paused once stimulation medication starts, unless your clinic is aware and agrees.

Can men have acupuncture when a couple is trying to conceive?

Yes. Fertility involves two people, and men are welcome. As with women, any male fertility concern should be assessed medically, including a semen analysis arranged through your GP or clinic.

When should we see a GP about fertility?

NICE advises clinical assessment if you have not conceived after a year of regular unprotected sex, and earlier if the woman is 36 or over or there is a known reason for concern, such as absent or very irregular periods, previous pelvic infection or a history of testicular problems.