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IVF Acupuncture Melbourne
Melbourne’s Leading IVF Acupuncture Clinic
IVF can be a lot to navigate, particularly if you’ve already been through treatment or things haven’t gone quite as planned. We understand how much time, energy and emotion goes into trying to conceive, and how important it is to feel listened to and supported along the way.
At our Melbourne acupuncture clinic in Elsternwick, fertility and IVF have been a core part of our clinical practice for over 22 years. Led by Dr Emma Vanheems (Chinese Medicine), we bring together extensive experience in Chinese medicine, reproductive health and fertility care to provide IVF acupuncture alongside your fertility specialist’s treatment.
We take the time to understand your fertility history, previous IVF cycles, blood tests and current treatment plan. We want to know where you’ve been, what you’ve tried and what matters most to you.
Acupuncture During Your IVF & Embryo Transfer
Whether you’re preparing for your first IVF cycle, undergoing ovarian stimulation, approaching egg collection or planning a fresh or frozen embryo transfer, your acupuncture treatment is tailored to your individual circumstances.
Our role is to provide additional support alongside your fertility specialist, with an understanding of both the medical and emotional aspects of IVF.
Above all, we want you to feel comfortable, informed and genuinely supported throughout your treatment. Because while IVF protocols may be similar, everyone’s experience is different.
IVF acupuncture matched to your treatment schedule
Preparing for IVF, beginning ovarian stimulation or approaching an embryo transfer? Book a consultation to discuss an acupuncture plan alongside your fertility treatment.
IVF Acupuncture Planned Around Your Cycle
Understanding your individual IVF journey
We have supported thousands of Melbourne patients through the emotional and practical demands of IVF, conception and pregnancy. IVF treatment is not experienced uniformly: the same medication or procedure can affect patients very differently. Ovarian reserve, previous response to stimulation, age, endometriosis, PCOS, sperm factors, embryo development and uterine findings may all influence your fertility specialist’s recommendations and your experience of treatment.
At your initial consultation, we may discuss:
Previous IVF response
Follicle recruitment, medication doses, egg collection results, fertilisation rates and embryo development from earlier cycles.
Ovarian reserve and stimulation planning
AMH, antral follicle count, menstrual history and previous responses to medication, while recognising that these measures do not directly assess egg quality.
Embryo development
Fertilisation outcomes, blastocyst development, embryo grading and any available genetic testing information.
Endometriosis, adenomyosis or PCOS
Diagnoses that may affect symptoms, treatment planning or your experience of an IVF cycle.
Uterine and endometrial findings
Relevant ultrasound, hysteroscopy or other investigations, considered alongside your fertility specialist’s recommendations.
Sperm and male-factor considerations
Semen analysis, sperm treatment, previous fertilisation difficulties and relevant specialist assessment.
Treatment-related symptoms
Bloating, pelvic discomfort, headaches, sleep disruption, anxiety, fatigue or difficulty managing appointments and medication.
Your previous experience
What was difficult in earlier cycles, what helped and what you would like your care to address this time.
AMH and AFC can help estimate ovarian reserve and likely response to stimulation. They do not measure egg quality or determine whether an individual IVF cycle will result in pregnancy.
A plan built around your IVF history
Bring your previous cycle results, medication list and current treatment dates. We’ll review what matters for your care.
Acupuncture During Your IVF Cycle
Working Alongside Your Fertility Specialist & Medical Team
For over 22 years, we have supported Melbourne patients through IVF, conception and pregnancy. Our IVF acupuncture care is planned around your fertility clinic’s treatment protocol, including ovarian stimulation, egg collection and fresh or frozen embryo transfer.
We work alongside GPs, fertility specialists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, incorporating relevant medical investigations, medications and specialist recommendations into your care. Where appropriate, and with your consent, we communicate directly with your treating team.
Our experienced practitioners review your progress at each appointment, adjusting acupuncture treatment to your individual needs and the different stages of your IVF cycle.
Before ovarian stimulation
Before medication begins, we review your fertility history, previous IVF cycles, current medications and the schedule provided by your clinic.
This consultation establishes how acupuncture may fit around your injections, monitoring appointments and procedures. Support may also address symptoms such as poor sleep, tension, headaches or stress before the cycle starts.
During ovarian stimulation
Stimulation cycles involve daily hormonal medication, changing follicle numbers and regular blood tests and ultrasounds. Your appointments may need to change as your response becomes clearer.
Acupuncture during this stage is planned around your clinic visits and clinical presentation. Rather than applying a fixed stimulation protocol, we consider your symptoms, medication response, treatment history and current priorities. It may provide supportive care for selected treatment-related symptoms without changing prescribed medication or replacing medical monitoring.
Around egg collection
Egg collection involves sedation or anaesthesia, a transvaginal procedure and a period of recovery. We consider your clinic’s instructions, the timing of the procedure and any restrictions relating to sedation or recovery before recommending acupuncture.
New or significant pain, heavy bleeding, fever, marked abdominal swelling or shortness of breath should be directed to your fertility clinic or urgent medical care rather than managed with acupuncture.
During fertilisation and embryo culture
Acupuncture cannot alter embryo development once eggs and sperm have been collected and embryos are being managed in the laboratory.
This stage can nevertheless be emotionally difficult, particularly while waiting for fertilisation results, blastocyst development or genetic testing. Supportive care may focus on wellbeing and managing uncertainty while you remain in contact with your clinic.
Around fresh or frozen embryo transfer
The timing of acupuncture depends on whether you are having a fresh or frozen embryo transfer, the medications involved and your fertility clinic’s instructions.
Acupuncture may be considered as an optional complementary treatment on the day of transfer, or within 24 hours before or after it.
During the two-week wait
After embryo transfer, many patients become highly alert to physical sensations and uncertain about what activities are safe. We provide support while respecting your fertility clinic’s instructions.
Acupuncture may be considered for general wellbeing or selected treatment-related symptoms, but it cannot confirm implantation or predict a pregnancy result. Pregnancy testing should be performed according to your clinic’s instructions, including when progesterone or other medications are being used.
Have a transfer date confirmed?
Contact our team with your transfer date so we can discuss appointment timing alongside your fertility clinic’s instructions.
Acupuncture Support for Complex IVF Journeys
Patients may seek IVF acupuncture after a specific difficulty in a previous cycle, such as a low number of eggs retrieved, poor fertilisation, limited blastocyst development, a cancelled transfer or an unsuccessful frozen embryo transfer.
We have supported thousands of Melbourne patients through IVF, conception and pregnancy, including patients whose treatment has involved complex histories or previous unsuccessful cycles. Our extensive experience allows us to look beyond the immediate procedure and consider how previous treatment response, symptoms, diagnoses and current medical planning fit together.
We also see patients whose IVF planning involves:
- Diminished ovarian reserve or a low response to stimulation
- Polycystic ovary syndrome and concerns about over-response
- Endometriosis or adenomyosis
- Unexplained infertility after otherwise reassuring investigations
- Male-factor infertility or previous fertilisation difficulties
- Repeated unsuccessful embryo transfers
- Recurrent pregnancy loss
- Fertility treatment at an advanced reproductive age
- Donor eggs, donor sperm or other complex treatment pathways
These circumstances require careful medical assessment. Acupuncture cannot correct chromosomal abnormalities, increase ovarian reserve, change embryo genetics or resolve an anatomical problem. Where further investigation or treatment is indicated, this should be discussed with your reproductive specialist.
Our role is to provide complementary care that is specific to your circumstances and does not delay, replace or conflict with appropriate medical treatment.
What Does the Research Say About Acupuncture and IVF?
Research into acupuncture and IVF continues to grow, with some encouraging findings about its potential role alongside fertility treatment.
A 2025 systematic review involving 96 clinical trials and over 14,700 participants found that certain acupuncture protocols, particularly those undertaken in preparation for IVF, were associated with improved clinical pregnancy rates. However, the strength of the evidence varied between studies.
Research has also suggested that acupuncture may help reduce IVF-related anxiety, offering additional support during what can be a physically and emotionally demanding experience.
While further high-quality research is needed to establish whether acupuncture improves live-birth rates, it remains an option for patients seeking complementary care during IVF.
At Elsternwick Acupuncture, we draw on over 22 years of clinical experience to provide individualised acupuncture treatment that works alongside your fertility specialist’s care.
Research references
1. Bin et al. (2025). Effects of acupuncture-related therapies on pregnancy outcomes among women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer: a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.
Integrative Fertility Care Without Unnecessary Intervention
IVF already involves appointments, injections, blood tests, scans, procedures and decisions. Adding multiple supplements, restrictive diets or unproven treatments can increase cost, confusion and anxiety.
Our approach is to ask whether an intervention has a clear purpose, whether it is safe alongside your treatment and whether it is supported by reasonable evidence.
Herbal medicines and supplements require particular caution during stimulation, around egg collection and transfer, and once pregnancy is possible. We do not assume that a natural product is safe. Any herbal medicine or supplement will be reviewed for interactions.
We do not believe in a fixed number of acupuncture treatments for every IVF cycle. Appointment frequency and timing should reflect your treatment schedule and clinical needs.
Melbourne’s Leading IVF Acupuncture Clinic
Elsternwick Acupuncture was established by Dr Emma Vanheems, a registered Doctor of Chinese Medicine with more than two decades of clinical experience in Chinese Medicine, integrative women’s health and pharmaceuticals.
For more than 22 years, we have been one of Melbourne’s most experienced clinics supporting patients through IVF, conception and pregnancy. We have supported thousands of patients through IVF, frozen embryo transfer and other fertility treatments. Our practitioners combine traditional Chinese medicine assessment with a detailed understanding of ovarian stimulation, embryo transfer, reproductive investigations and the boundaries of complementary care.
Our expertise is not based on applying a single protocol to every patient. We assess the individual in front of us, interpret their presentation within the context of their reproductive history and adapt care as their treatment progresses.
Patients choose Elsternwick Acupuncture for our depth of experience, careful clinical reasoning and longstanding focus on fertility and women’s health.
‘My aim has always been to provide the highest standard of complementary IVF support in Melbourne. Care that draws on years of clinical experience and most importantly, an appreciation that every patient’s fertility journey is different.’ Dr Emma Vanheems
Meet Our Expert Practitioners
Dr Emma Vanheems
Dr Catherine Farchione
Senior Integrative Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Nutritionist, and Fertility Coach with 20+ years of experience.
Dr Louise Osborn
Louise is a compassionate Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Practitioner with a special interest in women’s health.
Book an IVF Acupuncture Consultation in Melbourne
If you are preparing for ovarian stimulation, recovering from egg collection, waiting for embryo results or planning a fresh or frozen embryo transfer, our Melbourne Fertility Acupuncture clinic can discuss whether acupuncture is appropriate alongside your fertility clinic’s care.
With more than 22 years of experience and thousands of Melbourne patients supported through IVF, conception and pregnancy, we welcome the opportunity to discuss how our experienced complementary care may fit within your individual treatment plan.
We welcome patients from Elsternwick and suburbs across Melbourne. Please bring your current treatment plan, medication list and any relevant information from previous IVF cycles to your consultation.
Book your IVF acupuncture consultation
Arrange an appointment at Elsternwick Acupuncture in Melbourne, or contact our team to discuss your IVF schedule before booking.
Elsternwick Acupuncture | Melbourne’s experienced IVF acupuncture and fertility support clinic
