Enhancing Egg Quality Naturally: How Acupuncture Can Make a Difference

Does Acupuncture Improve Egg Quality?  The short answer is yes!

If you are reading this blog post you likely already know the importance of egg quality for fertility. But what exactly is good egg quality? Basically, egg quality refers to whether an egg is chromosomally normal or abnormal. Chromosomally normal eggs – having 23 chromosomes – when fertilized by a chromosomally normal sperm – having 23 chromosomes – have the best chance of becoming a chromosomally normal embryo. Chromosomally abnormal embryos typically don’t implant, miscarry or may continue to develop for several weeks and then stop developing resulting in an early miscarriage. So clearly egg quality is one important component of optimal fertility.

In this blog post we’ll explore some factors that influence egg quality both positively and negatively as well as the role of acupuncture in improving egg quality.

Factors Influencing Egg Quality

There are several factors that can affect egg quality. We’ll explore the effect of age, lifestyle and health on egg quality.

Age

Egg quality generally declines with age. People with ovaries are born with all the eggs they will ever have and as we age so do our eggs. Some studies have shown that around 75% of eggs are chromosomally normal in a 30-year-old person. By 35, this drops to approximately 50% and at age 40, it’s about 25% chromosomally normal eggs.

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle can also affect egg quality, either positively or negatively.

• Eating a nutrient rich diet can support improved egg quality. Some research suggests that adhering to a Mediterranean diet improves IVF outcomes. The Mediterranean Diet consists of high consumption of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, along with moderate amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (Baroutis et al., 2024). 

• Regular physical activity can support improved fertility, especially in people with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Some research has demonstrated improved fertility for people diagnosed with PCOS who did regular vigorous activity (Mussawar et al., 2023). For other people, vigorous activity may actually be detrimental to ovulation if it results in a caloric deficiency so moderate activity may be more beneficial especially during the follicular phase (Mussawar et al., 2023).

• Chronic stress can impact hormone and blood sugar balance and can lead to inflammation which causes cellular level damage to tissues including the ovaries. There are many mind-body stress reduction techniques you can use to mitigate the impact of chronic stress such as yoga, breathwork, meditation and mindfulness. Acupuncture also mitigates the impact of stress and improves your stress resiliency.

• Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact egg quality and ovarian reserve.

Health

Some health issues may contribute to a sub optimal ovarian environment.

• Endometriosis is a systemic inflammatory disorder that also disrupts hormone balance. Inflammation may affect egg quality and endometrial lesions may impact blood flow to the ovaries.

• A history of pelvic inflammatory disease from un or under treatment sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia may affect egg quality due to localized inflammation and scarring. 

Measuring Egg Quality

Can egg quality be measured? Not directly. If you are working with a Reproductive Endocrinologist at a fertility clinic you will have tests done to measure your AMH (i.e. ovarian reserve), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), antral follicle count and other parameters. None of these reflect the quality of your eggs but they may indicate how well you will respond to the medications used in IVF. What I always remind my patients is that egg quantity does not equal egg quality. I cannot get you more eggs but I can work to improve the quality of the ones you still have. So, how do we do that?

The Connection Between Acupuncture and Egg Quality

If you have read this far you may be feeling a little overwhelmed or doomed but we are moving onto the good news portion of this blog post: how acupuncture can improve egg quality.

Acupuncture improves blood flow to the ovaries. While we cannot increase the number of eggs you have available, we can improve the environment where they mature. Just like giving a plant healthy and nutrient rich soil to grow and thrive in we can improve the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your ovaries. Numerous studies have looked at the mechanisms of acupuncture with regard to fertility, largely within the context of IVF. Some studies have found that acupuncture can improve outcomes such as egg quality, the number of eggs retrieved, and fertilization rates. For instance, a landmark study by Paulus et al. (2002) suggested that acupuncture before and after IVF might improve pregnancy rates by enhancing ovarian response and egg quality.

Acupuncture regulates hormonal balance which is crucial to optimal fertility. Acupuncture has been shown to rebalance estrogen and progesterone which is important for ensuring follicular development and supporting an adequate luteal phase. Acupuncture has also been shown to reduce elevated levels of FSH in patients with diminished ovarian reserve (Lin et al., 2023). For people with PCOS acupuncture has been shown to reduce luteinizing hormone (LH) and support a better FSH/LH ratio which supports ovulation (Ko & Kim, 2018).  Speaking of ovulation, numerous studies demonstrate the acupuncture can induce ovulation in PCOS and other ovulatory disorders (Ko & Kim, 2018).

Acupuncture reduces stress and its impact on reproductive health. Stress has been shown to negatively impact both reproduction and the menstrual cycle. One study showed a reduction in the stress hormones cortisol and prolactin in people going through IVF (Cochrane et al., 2014). Chronic stress induces inflammation which then causes cellular level damage to tissues and organs including the ovaries. Acupuncture re-regulates the autonomic nervous system to help you move out of sympathetic dominance (flight-fight-freeze) into more of a parasympathetic state (rest and digest).

Additional Strategies to Improve Egg Quality

Acupuncture is about more than the needles. I work with all of my patients on diet, lifestyle and stress reduction techniques to support optimal fertility and overall health.

Get Maya abdominal therapy. Just like acupuncture improves blood flow to the ovaries Maya abdominal therapy improves blood flow and lymph movement throughout the abdominal cavity and helps to gently guide your uterus into place if it is out of alignment. You can read more about how I practice May abdominal therapy here.

Eat a nutrient rich diet. Some research suggests that adhering to a Mediterranean type diet improves IVF outcomes. The Mediterranean Diet consists of high consumption of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, along with moderate amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (Baroutis et al., 2024). If you have any symptoms of estrogen dominance (full and tender breasts, irregular and/or heavy periods, fibroids, weight gain, fatigue, endometriosis) eating lots of fiber will help your body clear excess estrogen via your bowels. If you have any health conditions like endometriosis, PCOS or autoimmune disease then lowering your inflammatory load via diet is an important approach. If addition to the Mediterranean type diet you could consider reducing or eliminating gluten and cow dairy to lower inflammation. I give my patients dietary recommendations that reflect all of this as well as specific suggestions from Chinese medicine that are specific to their unique constitution.  

Implement stress reduction techniques. Stress is a normal part of life and it is not always bad. Feeling stressed before a big exam or presentation can help us prepare and be alert. The problem lies in chronic stress, like working long hours, worry about finances or having regular arguments at home. I talked about the impact of chronic stress on your ovaries but chronic stress actually changes the size, structure and function of your brain. The constant release of cortisol experienced in chronic stress increases the neural connections in your amygdala, the fear center of your brain. At the same time the neural signals in your hippocampus, which is responsible for things like memory and stress response, deteriorate. So, besides the common suggestion of eating a healthy diet, getting enough quality sleep and reducing social media and screen time what else can you do?

• Breathe. One tool I like to give my patients on is breathwork. I have a variety of types I will teach but here are some general ones to get you started. When we are stressed our breathing becomes shallower.  Shallow breathing can raise carbon dioxide levels in our blood setting off a cascade of negative effects in our body such as elevated blood pressure. Try these exercises when you start to feel anxious, stressed out, disconnected or unfocused. First make sure you are breathing through your belly by placing one hand on your stomach just above your belt line and the other hand on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose for 3 seconds. The hand on your stomach should rise while the hand on your chest stays relatively still.  When you exhale your stomach should relax back into place. Take a pause. Close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose, hold it for a few moments and release your breath slowly through your mouth. Repeat a few times. Open your eyes and check in with how you are feeling. Or you can try breathing with a mantra. Choose two calming words and focus on one during your inhale and one on your exhale. For example, you can inhale peace and exhale love or inhale calm and exhale focus.

Targeted supplements. I don’t provide blanket lists of supplements to take for fertility. Just like diet, it depends on what you need. Many of my patients come in taking way too many supplements and we generally have the idea, as Americans, that more is better. Specifically for egg quality there are a couple I will consider prescribing.

• CoQ10 is an antioxidant that is often used with people going through IVF to support egg quality. Studies suggest that CoQ10 supplementation can improve ovarian response, increase fertilization rates, and potentially improve the quality of embryos. It works by reducing oxidative stress and improving ATP synthesis and mitochondrial function in the ovaries. Mitochondria are like little power houses in the cells so having them fully functioning is important.

• Vitamin D stimulates AMH production, which is highly correlated with ovarian reserve. It is also involved in the regulation of other hormones such as FSH. Vitamin D deficiency (defined as a blood serum level of below 50 nmol/L) is commonly found in people with PCOS, fibroids and endometriosis. In one study, researchers found that clinical pregnancy rates for women using donor oocytes were lower in those with vitamin D deficiency (Dabrowski et al., 2015). Given all this information I always want my patients to have their vitamin D tested and to supplement if deficient.

•  Other supplements I look at on a case-by-case basis. What helped your friend get pregnant may not actually be beneficial for you. For example, patients with PCOS should not take DHEA even though it may have helped your friend with diminished ovarian reserve.  

In conclusion, while so much of infertility can feel outside of your control there are things that you can do to optimize your egg quality. These are not magic bullets or even quick fixes but eggs mature over a three-month period so focusing on the first 100 days before conception with dietary and lifestyle adjustments along with regular acupuncture can greatly improve the environment in which your eggs are maturing. You can do this and if you are in the Longmont, Colorado area I can help. Book your free consultation now and we can get started!  

Next on your reading list:

Fertility Acupuncture: Everything You Need to Know

When to Have Acupuncture During IVF

References

Baroutis, D., Kalampokas, T., Katsianou, E., Psarris, A., Daskalakis, G., Panoulis, K., & Eleftheriades, M. (2024). The Role of the Mediterranean Diet in Assisted Reproduction: A Literature Review. Nutrients, 16(16), 2807. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16162807

Cochrane, S., Smith, C. A., Possamai-Inesedy, A., & Bensoussan, A. (2014). Acupuncture and women's health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health. International journal of women's health, 6, 313–325. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S38969

Dabrowski, F. A., Grzechocinska, B., & Wielgos, M. (2015). The role of vitamin D in reproductive health--a Trojan Horse or the Golden Fleece?. Nutrients, 7(6), 4139–4153. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7064139

Ko, J. H., & Kim, S. N. (2018). A Literature Review of Women's Sex Hormone Changes by Acupuncture Treatment: Analysis of Human and Animal Studies. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM, 2018, 3752723.

Lin, G., Liu, X., Cong, C., Chen, S., & Xu, L. (2023). Clinical efficacy of acupuncture for diminished ovarian reserve: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in endocrinology, 14, 1136121. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1136121https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3752723

Mussawar, M., Balsom, A. A., Totosy de Zepetnek, J. O., & Gordon, J. L. (2023). The effect of physical activity on fertility: a mini-review. F&S reports, 4(2), 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2023.04.005

Paulus, W. E., Zhang, M., Strehler, E., El-Danasouri, I., & Sterzik, K. (2002). Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertility and sterility, 77(4), 721–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(01)03273-3