Kelly King Acupuncture
Specialist Fertility, Women's Health & Wellbeing Acupuncture in Sunderland
Fertility Acupuncture for IVF and Assisted Conception in Sunderland
Support alongside IVF, ICSI, IUI, frozen embro transfer, donor egg or sperm cycles and egg freezing
Fertility treatment can take over your life. Everyone has an opinion: what to eat, what to avoid, what worked for their cousin's neice's colleague's friend. Suddenly you’re an expert in hormone levels and follicle counts without ever wanting to be.
There are the injections, the early morning scans, the waiting for every phone call and result, Then the emotional side: holding it together at work between appointments, the hope and fear of the two-week wait, and the heartbreak if a cycle doesn’t go to plan.
I offer calm, dedicated support through every stage of your treatment, alongside the care you’re receiving from your fertility clinic.
I’ve supported people through every stage, from their first cycle of IVF and into pregnancy.
Ideally, it would be great to get you better prepared for an IVF cycle and correct potential menstrual cycle issues with the same preparation as my natural conception for 3-4 cycles, but I will absolutely meet you where you are, whether:
- Your fertility clinic treatment is due to start soon
- You've already started an IVF or assisted conception cycle
- You're looking for support around the embryo transfer and two-week wait
Wherever you're starting from, we'll build your treatment around it
Once your IVF or IUI round begins, together we look at:
Your response to stimulation – timing treatment around your stimulation phase, and paying attention to how your body is responding
Preparing for implantation – focused sessions around embryo transfer when your body is preparing for a possible pregnancy, helping to maintain optimal progesterone levels alongside medication your clinic prescribes
Side effect reduction – IVF medication commonly causes headaches, bloating and mood changes. Acupuncture can help reduce these.
Inflammation and immune health –taking into account any inflammatory or immune factors in your history and how they might fit into your fertility picture. Correcting these imbalances and lowering the inflammation, to support implantation
Support pre and post embryo transfer – there are many studies that show acupuncture protocols before and after embryo transfer can significantly increase success rates in women undergoing IVF, compared with no acupuncture
Two-Week wait - a planned treatment schedule from transfer to test day, so you’re not facing the wait alone, helping you to relax (as much as able at this point!) and reduce anxiety, as this can feel like the longest two weeks of your life
If an IVF round doesn’t work – time and space to process what’s happened, care for your body and the return of your menstrual cycle, with support in thinking through the next steps when you’re ready
How often
If you're starting two to three months before your IVF cycle, we'll follow the same approach as my NATURAL CONCEPTION PLAN: weekly sessions, ideally for your first 6 - 8 treatments, timed to each stage of your cycle. After that, we'll review together and move to fortnightly if that suits you better.
Once your IVF cycle has started, I recommend weekly session throughout, with extra sessions planned around key points such as egg collection and embryo transfer. Timings during IVF can change quickly, so weekly sessions let me adjust your treatment to wherever you are in the round. If your treatment is starting soon or has already begin, we'll work with the time we have and focus on the stages ahead.
Your first appointment
We'll go through your fertility history, any previous treatment, and your clinic's plan for this cycle. Please bring your protocol (Inc medications and dosage) and dates if you have them, so I can plan sessions around your scans, egg collection and transfer. I work alongside your fertility clinic and treat according to their plan.
We'll also talk about lifestyle and any supplements. Please check anything new with your clinic first, as some supplements aren't advised during IVF treatment for certain people.
Between sessions
Let me know as soon as your clinic gives you new dates, as timings can change quickly during a cycle. I'll ask you to note down and symptoms or issues between sessions, including IVF medication side effects. Every session starts with a catch up about how you're feeling and how treatment is going, and i'll always explain what I'm doing and why.
New to acupuncture?
If you're nervous about needles, please don't let that put you off. They're very fine, we go at your pace, and making sure you're comfortable throughout is my priority. I always encourage you to ask any questions you might have and to let me know how you're feeling.
Find out more about what to expect at your first appointment LINK
Book and IVF appt here