IUI Support: Optimizing Your Fertility Path

Incorporating acupuncture into your IUI (intrauterine insemination) preparation can enhance your chances of a successful pregnancy. Ideally, acupuncture should begin three months before the procedure, but starting as early as possible can still provide significant benefits. While fertility medications increase the number of follicles, they don’t always improve egg quality. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine work to optimize the environment where eggs develop, enhancing both follicle count and quality, which improves the likelihood of conception and a healthy pregnancy.

How Does Acupuncture Support IUI?

Acupuncture aids IUI in several key ways:

• Improves egg and follicle health
• Regulates the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis
• Increases blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, potentially boosting implantation success
• Reduces side effects of fertility medications
• Balances the sympathetic nervous system and reduces stress, which is essential for better pregnancy outcomes
• Supports implantation by reducing uterine contractions

What Is IUI?

IUI (intrauterine insemination) is a procedure where washed sperm is placed directly into the uterus, increasing the chances of sperm reaching the Fallopian tubes. It can be performed during a natural cycle or in conjunction with fertility medications that stimulate ovulation or the development of multiple follicles. While typically only one follicle releases an egg during a menstrual cycle, fertility medications may encourage the release of more, improving the chance of fertilization.

The IUI procedure is typically timed with an ultrasound around day 12 of the menstrual cycle, depending on individual response, and may involve using human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to trigger ovulation within 24-36 hours.

IUI Is Commonly Recommended For:

• Mild fertility issues
• Unexplained infertility
• Cervical factor infertility
• Male factor infertility (e.g., issues with sperm count, motility, or morphology)
• Sexual dysfunction
• Using donor sperm

Acupuncture for IUI Support: Why Choose Austin Honeysuckle Acupuncture Clinic?

Not all acupuncture clinics specialize in fertility care. Zheng Zeng (FABORM, M.D. China), a certified fertility acupuncturist and fellow of the Acupuncture and TCM Board of Reproductive Medicine (ABORM), provides expert care and personalized treatment for each patient. Whether you’re seeking natural conception or enhancing treatments like IUI or IVF with acupuncture, we are here to support you on your journey to parenthood.

We accept a variety of insurance plans, including BlueCross BlueShield, UnitedHealthcare, UMR, Aetna, Meritain Health, and others. However, coverage for acupuncture may vary, even if we are in-network provider. To ensure your treatment is covered, please contact your insurance company for verification, or our office can assist you with this process. Feel free to call us before your first visit, and we’ll be happy to help confirm your insurance coverage for acupuncture.