Anonymous wrote:PP - have you had any luck with the accupuncture? Actually, anyone here - any success?

Many thanks!

14:22 here. I've had a few unsuccessful IUIs and am now in the middle of an IVF cycle. So no success yet. However, as others have said I find it to be very relaxing... Helps me manage my anxiety through it all, which alone is worth it.

I liked Yun Brown in Silver Spring. She was very knowledgable about IVF and the role of acupuncture in the process. Her rates are lower than others in the area. She has a home office that is very bare bones but clean and professional. She's over by Holy Cross hospital.

For what it's worth I have high FSH and used her with both cycles that I had. SG had me on megadoses of stims as well. Both of my cycles were successful and I have two wonderful little boys.

I also go to Dr. Eugene Zhang now and before used to go to Arthur Fan and Kerry Westhauser with no success. From my own opinion, Dr. Fan is not that knowledgeable about fertility - he never asked my about my period, hardly ever listened to my pulse or looked at my tongue. Plus he always put the needles in the same spots irregardless of the day of my cycle (which is totally wrong). I agree with other posters re: Dr. Westhauser - she is caring, knows a lot about fertility and also advocates a special fertility diet. But again I didn't get pregnant with her.

Now I see Dr. Zhang and what a difference - he knows so much about infertility, he does everything that I read about in Randine Lewis' "The Infertility Cure" book (checking my tongue, listening to my pulse every time, asking me about my period, cramps, etc.). He also knows a lot about IVF, both natural and medicated, plus REs in the area. He is also treating my husband, whose sperm is a major undermining factor in our TTC efforts.

So long story short, don't get your hopes up that the acupuncture will help you, but I would still give it a shot. Just choose your acupuncturist carefully. Sometimes people can be biased especially if they got pregnant with a certain doctor (might have been a coincidence as it was with me a year and a half ago when I got pregnant the first month I tried acupuncture, but unfortunately miscarried).

I go to Eugene Zhang, Fairfax, VA. He's very good, kind, and specializes in infertility.

It's $60.00 a session. I submit the claim to my insurance to get reimbursed.

Hi - I'd like to put in a plug for Kerri Westhauser, an acupuncturist with offices in Bethesda, Dupont Circle, and Falls Church. She treats a lot of infertility patients, and is extremely knowledgeable, supportive, and caring. She specializes her treatment of patients depending on where they are in their cycles (including coming in on a weekend to see you if your egg retrieval is on a Monday, for example), and helped me tremendously. I got pregnant during my first IVF cycle seeing her, after two failed IVFs and two failed IUIs previously. She is genuinely interested in helping her patients in their struggles with fertility, and seeing her and hearing her words of support was kind of like having another person on "my team." I had never done acupuncture previously, and was scared of wiggling with the needles in, but she is very calming and talked to me to distract me, until I realized I was fine and could relax on my own. A true professional! Oh, and she does take insurance.

I think Heavenly Bodies Clinic is way more expensive than other acupuncturists and not half as good.

Anonymous wrote:I live in Arlington and went to Heavenly Bodies Clinic. I had one chemical pregnancy and miscarriage. Afterwords, I started acupuncture treatments. I got pregnant in 2 months. My friend, who was told she would have trouble due to severe endometriosis - sp?, starting going to acupuncture (a different one in Va. Beach) after she had some surgery to clear some of her blocked fallopian tubes. She went for menstrual cramps, but got pregnant after 2 months!

Word of warning: acupuncture can be very expensive and may or may not be covered by insurance. I paid $250 for an initial fee and $95/session. I went 3x a week. My friend went once a week. Typically, you have to pay the acupuncturist and then submit a claim to insurance for reimbursement, but I've heard a few acupuncture clinics take your insurance card. Insurance is more likely to cover it if you are going for pain related reasons than if you say you are going for infertility. most clinics will hook you up and say you are going for pain.

Hope that helps. Best of luck to you!

My insurance doesn't cover acupuncture for infertility. I would not ask or consider asking an acupuncturist to commit insurance fraud to cover my sessions. And, I doubt that my acupuncturist would have done it had I asked.

I like Arthur Fan in Tysons very much. I conceived during my second month of acupuncture (and herbs) after 4 unsuccessful months of trying before that. No proof that the acupuncture actually helped with conception, of course, but I certainly found it relaxing and comforting, which was its own value at the time.

I tried again when TTC#2, but had an ectopic pregnancy underway when I started (didn't know it at the time) and though I continued for awhile, I stopped when the ecopic finally cleared and my period returned. Had it not been for the cost and the time involved (I was going 2x a week), I would have loved to continue. I think the world of Dr. Fan.

I live in Arlington and went to Heavenly Bodies Clinic. I had one chemical pregnancy and miscarriage. Afterwords, I started acupuncture treatments. I got pregnant in 2 months. My friend, who was told she would have trouble due to severe endometriosis - sp?, starting going to acupuncture (a different one in Va. Beach) after she had some surgery to clear some of her blocked fallopian tubes. She went for menstrual cramps, but got pregnant after 2 months!

Word of warning: acupuncture can be very expensive and may or may not be covered by insurance. I paid $250 for an initial fee and $95/session. I went 3x a week. My friend went once a week. Typically, you have to pay the acupuncturist and then submit a claim to insurance for reimbursement, but I've heard a few acupuncture clinics take your insurance card. Insurance is more likely to cover it if you are going for pain related reasons than if you say you are going for infertility. most clinics will hook you up and say you are going for pain.

Hope that helps. Best of luck to you!

I have done acupuncture for 2 years and my only successes have ended in m/c. Acupuncture is an adjunct treatment for IF and should be used as just that. I found it to be relaxing and it definitely helped reduce my stress level while seeking treatment, however I never relied on acupuncture to improve my odds of success. And, there is little evidence supporting better odds for IF treatment with acupuncture.

PP - have you had any luck with the accupuncture? Actually, anyone here - any success?

Many thanks!

Pulling Down the Moon. It's in the same building as Shady Grove Fertility in Rockville and specializes in fertility issues. They also offer massage, yoga and nutritional counseling. I've been doing the acupuncture there for a few months and really like it.

The ones you see often mentioned on these boards that have a specialty in infertility are Kerri Westhauser, Lisa Eaves and Deb Early. They are all in DC. Kerri also has offices in Falls Church and Bethesda. They deal almost exclusively with infertility.

I've also heard great things about Arthur Fan who is in Tysons.

There is also some recommendations for some acupuncturists who work near/with GW.

There are lots of threads on this if you do a search.

Lisa Eaves in Tenelytown specializes in infertility and is very supportive.

Hi all. Does anyone know of a good accupuncturist in our area that specializes in infertility? I have been diagnosed with POF (although seeking a second opinion) but would like to look into accupuncture in the meantime.
thanks!