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My acupuncturist likes to give me a break during my TWW.

@travelgirl1: I need to see my acupuncturist this week after my last unsuccessful IUI. I forget the reasoning behind why she gives me a break during the TWW. I'll ask her this week.

From the google search, it sounds like it's some sort of preference. Some like to continue it throughout the cycle and some take a break during the TWW. My acupuncturist has given me published articles on acupuncture and fertility before. Maybe she can point me to an article about the TWW.

I did. She focused a lot on bringing blood flow to the uterus, which for me made me think there was more opportunity to create a warm, inviting environment for implantation.

I went weekly regardless of where I was in my cycle, but she did do different things based on what week it was.

@mrswin: That sounds about right. I did have a session early on and she stayed away from my abdomen.

I really like seeing her every week, maybe I should ask to see her during my TWW again and focus on other things. I have the sessions covered by insurance, I might as well use them. My acupuncturist did tell me that once I get pregnant, I won't see her as much during the pregnancy unless I have really bad nausea or something.

I did acupuncture during my first round of IVF and will do it again next week before and after my transfer. I love it! I would do it more, but can't afford the high cost. But I definitely love it and will do it again with IVF.

@winter_wonder: I asked my acupuncturist about this last night as I'm also in the TWW. He said that it helps blood flow to the uterus, helps prevent miscarriage and helps the fallopian tubes move to the risk of ectopic pregnancies.

@travelgirl1: Thanks!!!

@travelgirl1: Ok, I saw my accupunturist yesterday and I asked her this question.

She said the reason why she gives me a break during my TWW is because I'm doing an IUI. If it was an IVF cycle, she could continue treatment. She does this based on how she was trained when she started doing fertility based treatment.

So she elaborated. She said the in the accupunture world, she (her trainer) views IUI and IVF differently. IVF is further in the process because the sperm already fertilized the egg (blastocyst), so when she does accupunture in the TWW of an IVF cycle, the increased blood flow can assist in implantation.

As for me, since I'm doing IUIs, she (and how she was trained) views IUIs as a further in the process (i.e. IUIs still require the sperm to fertilze the egg), so the reason why she follow the protocol of having a break during the TWW is so accupunture does not interfere with the 'natural' process of sperm meeting egg. She essentially doesn't want to alter that 'natural process' by a treament. She did mention that if I had a previous history of miscarriages, she might have a treatment during the TWW to assist in the process.

She's followed this procedure/method for 15 years and has been successful in getting people pregnant, so I think that's why she hasn't changed it. She did mention that she follows this procedure/method because this is what that one paper that was published did. I need to find that paper. She told me the authors. She said that she is following the controls in the paper.

I'm sure in the accupunture industry, some were taught one way and other taught another. It's probably just personal experience or preference at this point.

So that's the reason why she gives me a break during my TWW.