Acupuncture and massage during IVF in Calgary

Acupuncture and gentle massage during IVF are best thought of as support for how you feel through the cycle, not as a way to raise your chance of a baby. The largest trial, 848 women in Australia and New Zealand, found live births of 18.3 per cent with acupuncture and 17.8 per cent with a sham, and a 2026 review of 42 trials rated the evidence very low in certainty. If you want calm, rest and some time cared for between clinic appointments, they can fit around each stage, as long as your fertility clinic knows and you watch for signs of ovarian hyperstimulation.

If you are partway through IVF, acupuncture and gentle massage can help you feel calmer and more cared for, but the best evidence does not show that they raise your chance of a live birth. We would rather you knew that before you spend money on it. What they can offer is an hour away from injections, scans and waiting, with someone paying attention to how you are doing. This page sets out what the research found, how sessions can fit each stage of a cycle, the symptoms that mean calling your fertility clinic instead, and how fertility support is booked at Renu.

What the evidence says about acupuncture during IVF

The most reliable single study found no difference in live births. In a trial published in JAMA in 2018, 848 women having a fresh IVF cycle at 16 centres in Australia and New Zealand received either acupuncture or a sham, a non-penetrating needle placed away from true points. The first session was given on days six to eight of stimulation and two more around embryo transfer, one before and one after. Live births were 18.3 per cent with acupuncture and 17.8 per cent with the sham, which is no meaningful difference.

A 2026 meta-analysis pooled 42 randomized trials and 9,390 women. It found acupuncture was associated with higher clinical pregnancy and implantation rates, but its effect on live birth was uncertain, and the authors rated the certainty of evidence as very low for every major outcome. Their analysis of timing hinted that sessions during stimulation might matter more than sessions only around transfer, but they called this exploratory and said it should not be used to set a treatment dose.

The UK fertility regulator, the HFEA, takes a practical view: complementary therapies may be suggested for relaxation or general wellbeing during fertility treatment, but the HFEA does not regulate them and they are not usually offered in licensed fertility clinics.

So the honest framing is this: choose acupuncture during IVF if it helps you cope, not because it is expected to change the result.

Massage and lymphatic work during a cycle

There are no good trials of massage on IVF outcomes, so the case for it rests on comfort. A fertility cycle is physically and emotionally demanding, and many people carry it in their neck, shoulders, jaw and low back. Gentle massage on those areas, or slow lymphatic strokes, can be a restful counterweight.

The one area to be careful with is the abdomen. The drugs used to stimulate egg production can, in some people, make the ovaries large and painful, as the OHSS section below explains. Keep sessions light, tell your therapist exactly where you are in the cycle, and avoid deep or abdominal work until your fertility clinic is comfortable with it.

Stage by stage: what fits when

Sessions can follow your treatment calendar. A rough guide:

Stage of the cycle	What tends to fit	What to watch
Stimulation (injections and monitoring)	Acupuncture; gentle massage of back, neck and shoulders	A bloated or tender belly; keep pressure away from it
Egg collection and the week after	Rest first; light, non-abdominal work only if you feel well	OHSS symptoms, which usually appear this week
Embryo transfer	Acupuncture before or after, if it calms you	Do not let fitting in an appointment add stress on the day
Two-week wait	Gentle, relaxing sessions for sleep and worry	Bleeding or one-sided low belly pain

If your clinic changes your protocol, such as a freeze-all cycle or a frozen transfer later, let us know so the timing of sessions can follow the new dates.

Check with your fertility clinic first if you have these symptoms

Some symptoms mean you should not come in for a session at all, and should call your fertility clinic straight away instead.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a reaction to the fertility drugs used to produce more eggs, and it can make the ovaries large and painful. The HFEA says around a third of women have mild OHSS, which can usually be managed at home with pain relief, and that strong symptoms usually appear in the week after egg collection. Contact your clinic immediately if you have:

• a swollen stomach or stomach pain, which can be severe;
• nausea or vomiting;
• shortness of breath;
• faintness;
• passing less urine than usual.

After a positive pregnancy test, the HFEA advises contacting your clinic immediately for one-sided low abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding or a dark brown or red discharge, or diarrhoea or pain when you go to the toilet, as these can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy.

How fertility support works at Renu

At Renu, fertility support has its own appointments, separate from general acupuncture and massage. Acupuncture is with Dr. Will Tanner, a Registered Massage Therapist trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, using sterile single-use needles; see are acupuncture needles single-use if that is on your mind.

Appointment	Length	Price
Fertility support acupuncture: initial consultation and treatment	90 min	$150
Fertility support acupuncture: follow-up	60 min	$120
Fertility support lymphatic therapy: initial consultation and treatment	75 min	$140
Fertility support lymphatic therapy: follow-up	60 min	$130

Bring your treatment calendar to your first visit so sessions can be timed around monitoring, collection and transfer. We do not replace or direct your fertility care, and we have no arrangement with any fertility clinic; your clinic remains in charge of your treatment. If you are earlier in the process, before IVF begins, fertility acupuncture in Calgary and fertility lymphatic massage cover that stage, and acupuncture and lymphatic drainage together explains how the two pair up.

Booking around clinic appointments

Fertility appointments tend to arrive at short notice, so flexible hours help. We are open seven days, 8:00 am to 8:30 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekends, and booking is online through Jane or by phone. If a scan moves your plans, call us to rebook.

Questions people ask

Should I have acupuncture on the day of my embryo transfer?

Some people like to, and in the large Australian and New Zealand trial two sessions were given around transfer, one before and one after. That trial found no difference in live births compared with a sham, so it is a choice for comfort rather than results. If the logistics of fitting it in on transfer day add stress, it is fine to skip it.

Can I have a massage during the two-week wait?

Gentle, relaxing work on the back, neck, shoulders and legs is a common choice in the wait before a pregnancy test. Let your therapist know where you are in the cycle and avoid deep or abdominal work. Bleeding or one-sided low belly pain at this stage, especially after a positive test, means calling your fertility clinic first.

Does my fertility clinic need to know I am having acupuncture?

Yes, tell them. The HFEA notes that complementary therapies are not regulated as fertility treatment and are not usually offered in licensed fertility clinics, so your clinic will not know unless you say so, and they may have advice for your specific protocol.

Is the fertility lymphatic therapy at Renu a massage?

It is a hands-on session using slow, light, rhythmic strokes rather than the firmer pressure of a typical massage. There is no evidence that it changes IVF outcomes; people choose it because it is restful and gentle at a time when the body is under a lot of strain.

Sources

1. Smith CA, et al. Effect of acupuncture vs sham acupuncture on live births among women undergoing IVF: a randomized clinical trial (JAMA, 2018)
2. Wei J, et al. Timing and dose of acupuncture as adjuncts to assisted reproduction: a meta-analysis (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2026)
3. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: Treatment add-ons
4. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: Risks of fertility treatment

Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.