Acupuncture & Fertility
"With their unique technique, Kite Clinic can help fertility-challenged people conceive – and has more than 1,000 success stories to prove it."
- Mail on Sunday
Supporting Your Fertility Journey
If you are looking for help and support with fertility issues, you have come to the right place! Johnny Childs apprenticed for several years under Fertility expert & Master Acupuncturist. Gerad Kite. Johnny to this day works extremely closely with Gerad - and Kite Clinic is firmly established as London’s acupuncture clinic with a reputation for supporting people hoping to improve their fertility.
Whether you aim to conceive naturally or whether IVF is necessary, Johnny practises a style of acupuncture that aims to re-balance your system – what we have learned from our patients’ feedback – the tangible experience of feeling more balanced appears to translate into boosting fertility. We have gained a sound reputation, having worked with thousands of couples and individuals who testify that the experience of coming to us helped in their journey to having a child.
"I understand that fertility struggles can be overwhelming, and I'm here to support you every step of the way. Many of our patients find acupuncture to be a valuable complementary therapy during their fertility journey. By helping to improve circulation, balance hormones, and reduce stress, acupuncture creates the right environment for your body and 'self' to thrive".
Johnny Childs
Mel C talks about Five-Element acupuncture at Kite Clinic
Charlotte's Story - part one
Charlotte's experience of secondary infertility and Five Element acupuncture at Kite Clinic.
"One of my friends spotted an article on Kite Clinic in a magazine, which was all about a journalist who’d had problems conceiving. I was very skeptical, and Tim my husband was even more so, but I had an idea that it might help with more IUI treatments.
I remember walking into the treatment room at Kite Clinic, and we discussed getting me through one natural cycle without drugs and once I’d had a period, and gotten into my next cycle, I could try IVF if I wanted, but that I might not still want to go on with it and to take a bit more time instead."
- Charlotte Claydon
Film from our clinic iBook, 'The Art Of Baby Making'
Acupuncture and Fertility FAQs
Acupuncture aims to restore balance within the body, improving overall health and well-being. By enhancing blood flow to reproductive organs and reducing stress, it creates a more favourable environment for conception. While scientific studies offer mixed results, many patients find acupuncture to be a valuable component of their fertility journey.
It’s advisable to start acupuncture treatment at least three months before attempting to conceive. This timeframe allows the body to adjust and respond to the treatment, optimizing reproductive health. However, starting at any point can still offer major benefits.
Typically, we recommend weekly for the first few weeks – to help kickstart the whole process and build a solid foundation for future treatments to ‘sit on’, so to speak. The exact frequency depends on individual circumstances, including health history and specific fertility challenges. We then typically fan treatment out to greater intervals, once every two weeks, every three weeks – to monthly sessions, usually prior to ovulation should you be trying naturally. Regular sessions over a period of three to four months are often suggested to achieve optimal results.
Yes, acupuncture complements other fertility treatments such as IVF or IUI. It can help alleviate side effects, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being during these procedures. We often collaborate with medical professionals to provide integrated care for our patients.
Acupuncture is considered safe during pregnancy when performed by a qualified practitioner. It can help manage symptoms like morning sickness, back pain, and stress. However, certain points should be avoided, so it’s crucial to inform your acupuncturist if you are pregnant or suspect you might be.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles, which typically cause minimal discomfort. Patients often describe a tingling sensation or a feeling of warmth. Many find the experience relaxing and may even fall asleep during sessions.
A typical session lasts between 45 minutes to an hour. This includes time for consultation and for the treatment plan to be administered via the needles. The initial consultation may take longer to allow for a comprehensive assessment of your health and fertility goals.
Side effects are rare and usually mild, such as slight bruising or light headedness. These effects are typically short-lived. Our practitioners ensure that treatments are tailored to your specific needs, minimizing any potential adverse effects.
Five-Element Acupuncture focuses on treating the individual as a whole, addressing the root causes of imbalance rather than just symptoms. This personalized approach considers emotional and constitutional factors, aiming to restore harmony and promote self-healing.
Yes, acupuncture often complements other forms of treatment. It’s important to inform your healthcare providers about all therapies you’re receiving to ensure coordinated and effective care.
Acupuncture & IVF: a powerful combination
Five-Element Acupuncture doesn’t treat symptoms directly but focuses on balancing the body to promote optimal health. When combined with IVF, it has shown to improve success rates by creating an optimal environment for implantation and reducing the side effects of IVF medications.. Some benefits of acupuncture when preparing for IVF include:
Improved circulation and increased blood flow to the uterus
Thicker uterine lining, which is essential for implantation
Reduced side effects from IVF medications
Hormonal balance to optimise egg quality
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a ground-breaking treatment that assists nature in bringing together the egg and the sperm to facilitate conception and pregnancy. Five-Element Acupuncture is a system of medicine that also works with nature. This style of acupuncture does not treat symptoms directly and there are no formulas or set protocols; Instead each treatment is focussed on helping you be as well as possible in the widest sense.
By facilitating balance and harmony in you, your body has a much better chance to find its own natural balance so that the internal environment is optimal to create new life. By combining IVF with our treatment, our patients, and some medical consultants have commented that success rates seem to improve, not only in creating the most ideal conditions for conception, but also giving the highest possible chance of a problem-free pregnancy.
Our main goal is to help people conceive without IVF but, when it is necessary, the marriage of these two, appear to have a very positive outcome. We recommend to start having acupuncture treatments around 3 months prior to starting IVF, but where this is not possible - treatment can still have a significant effect at any time.
The benefits of acupuncture in preparation for implantation with IVF are that acupuncture can help relieve the side effects of drugs used in IVF. Through finding balance with acupuncture, the knock on effect of treatment can help activate the brain to release hormones to stimulate the ovaries, adrenal glands and other organs involved in reproduction. This is all beneficial prior to the collection of eggs for IVF, it will improve the blood flow to the uterus, thicken the lining of the uterus to prepare it for implantation. Thus improving the chances of a full term pregnancy.
IVF Fertility Clinics
Book
The Art of Baby Making
Explore our Clinic book ‘The Art of Baby Making’, written by Gerad Kite - the Founder of ‘Kite Clinic’. The film below is taken from the iBook version.
The Art of Baby Making," offer valuable insights into health and fertility, reflecting decades of clinical experience and a deep understanding of Five-Element Acupuncture.
Film from our clinic iBook, 'The Art Of Baby Making'
A Verified Patient
Dr Kathiuska Kriedt
A Verified Patient
Charlotte's Story - part two
Charlotte's story of her experience of secondary infertility and Five-Element acupuncture.
"In the small hours of the morning after my second session I woke up leaking breast milk. It was over ten years since Thomas had been born, and I hadn’t breastfed him. It was like when you’re breastfeeding and haven’t expressed any milk for eight hours, and then the baby cries and sets it off.
That’s when I realised that the acupuncture was having a physical effect. There’s no way I can make milk leak from my breasts because of something psychosomatic. It shifted my whole mindset.
A couple of weeks later I was cleaning out the garage and realised that I was starting my period. Every period I’d had before then had begun with 48 hours of agony because of my endometriosis. This was my first ever pain-free period, and for me it just compounded what had happened with the milk.
My periods couldn’t have stopped being painful randomly just after I’d just happened to spontaneously lactate."
- Charlotte Claydon
Film from our clinic iBook, 'The Art Of Baby Making'
