Being told you have diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) can feel overwhelming. Many women immediately begin asking the same questions. Will IVF work? Have I left it too late? Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

A newly published systematic review and meta-analysis offers encouraging news. By analysing the results of 11 randomised controlled trials involving 885 women, researchers found growing evidence that acupuncture has the potential to improve several important IVF outcomes for women with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing IVF or ICSI.

The findings add to a growing body of research supporting acupuncture as a complementary treatment alongside modern fertility care.

What is diminished ovarian reserve?

Diminished ovarian reserve refers to a reduction in the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries. Although it becomes more common with age, it can also affect younger women.

Women with DOR often experience:

Lower Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels
Higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels
Fewer eggs retrieved during IVF
Fewer embryos available for transfer
Lower pregnancy and live birth rates

AMH is commonly used as a marker of ovarian reserve, and lower AMH levels are often associated with a reduced response to ovarian stimulation during IVF. However, AMH is not a measure of natural fertility and does not predict whether a woman can conceive naturally. Many women with low AMH become pregnant without fertility treatment.

Unfortunately, low AMH results can sometimes create unnecessary anxiety or pressure to begin IVF urgently. For women trying to conceive naturally, routine AMH testing is generally not recommended unless there are specific clinical indications, as it rarely provides meaningful information about the likelihood of natural conception.

While IVF remains one of the most effective fertility treatments available, reduced ovarian reserve continues to present significant challenges.

What new research tells us about acupuncture and IVF success

Unlike an individual clinical trial, a systematic review and meta-analysis combines the results of multiple high-quality studies, providing one of the strongest forms of clinical evidence available.

The researchers found that women receiving acupuncture alongside IVF consistently achieved better reproductive outcomes than women undergoing IVF alone.

Compared with IVF alone, acupuncture was associated with:

Higher clinical pregnancy rates
Higher live birth rates
Higher embryo implantation rates
More eggs retrieved
More good-quality embryos
Higher oestradiol levels on the day of the trigger injection

Taken together, these findings strengthen the case for acupuncture as a complementary treatment during IVF, particularly for women with diminished ovarian reserve.

How much improvement was reported?

The pooled analysis found that women receiving acupuncture experienced:

Approximately 25% higher clinical pregnancy rates
Approximately 22% higher live birth rates
Approximately 30% higher embryo implantation rates

The review also found that women receiving acupuncture produced, on average, more eggs and more good-quality embryos.

Although the authors rated the overall certainty of evidence as ranging from very low to moderate, the consistency of the findings across multiple clinical trials adds to the growing body of evidence supporting acupuncture in reproductive medicine.

Why might acupuncture help?

Researchers are still investigating exactly how acupuncture influences reproductive function, but several biological mechanisms have been proposed.

Current evidence suggests acupuncture may:

Improve blood flow to the ovaries, supporting the environment in which follicles develop
Influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and reproductive hormone regulation
Reduce activation of the body’s stress response during fertility treatment
Improve uterine blood flow and endometrial receptivity, creating a more favourable environment for embryo implantation

Rather than acting through a single pathway, acupuncture appears to influence several interconnected physiological systems that are important for successful reproduction.

What does this mean for women considering IVF?

No complementary treatment can guarantee pregnancy, and acupuncture should never be viewed as a replacement for fertility care.

However, growing evidence supports acupuncture as part of an integrated approach to IVF. For women with diminished ovarian reserve, acupuncture may provide an opportunity to optimise the conditions for treatment while working alongside their fertility specialist.

As with any medical treatment, individual results vary, and acupuncture should be considered within the context of a personalised fertility plan.

Our approach

At Dr Vitalis Acupuncture, reproductive acupuncture has been a major focus of our practice for more than two decades. We work closely with women and couples undergoing IVF, ICSI and frozen embryo transfer, tailoring treatment according to each person’s fertility diagnosis, medical history and stage of treatment.

Every fertility journey is unique, which is why every treatment plan is tailored to the individual.

As new research continues to emerge, our commitment remains the same: combining the latest scientific evidence with more than 20 years of clinical experience to provide personalised, evidence-informed care throughout every stage of the fertility journey.

Reference

Xu L, Liang X, Wang W, Zhang R, Lin G, Cao K, Sun P, Fan L. Clinical evidence of acupuncture for infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing IVF/ICSI: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2026;17:1840157. doi:10.3389/fendo.2026.1840157.
Also see: ESHRE ovarian reserve information.