Steady, quiet support for your frozen embryo transfer
A frozen transfer can feel like weeks of preparation for one short appointment. I help you through the lead-up, the day itself, and the wait that follows, timed to your clinic's FET calendar.
Jason Rinker, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M. · Practicing since 1999 · Columbia, PA
For you if a frozen transfer is on your calendar
Many of the people I see for FET have already been through retrieval. Some have been through a transfer before. They know the process, and they want a calmer way through it this time.
- Medicated FET cycles
- Natural or modified natural FET cycles
- A first frozen transfer
- Another transfer after one that didn't work
- The two-week wait after transfer
- Partners who want support too
If this sounds like you, let's talk about where you are.
Book online, or call or text me with a question first.
How I approach an FET cycle
Your clinic decides your protocol and your transfer date. I plan around both, and I keep sessions gentle as transfer gets close.
My focus is on what acupuncture can reasonably help with: rest, sleep, and how settled you feel heading into transfer.
- Your history
- Your reproductive and menstrual-cycle history, how long you've been trying, and anything that has happened along the way.
- Testing and labs
- Previous fertility testing, a semen analysis where one is available, and any relevant lab results you'd like me to see.
- Medications
- What you're taking and what your clinic has planned. I follow their instructions, and I never change your medications.
- Daily life
- Sleep, stress, work, exercise, and food. These are the things you can actually shape, so we talk about them honestly.
- Gentle around transfer
- I don't use electrical stimulation as a routine part of transfer care. Sessions near transfer stay quiet and simple.
Your first appointment
If you know your transfer date, bring it. We'll work backward from it together.
We talk first
Your first visit is 80 minutes. We start by sitting down and going through your history, where you are on your fertility journey, and anything your doctor or clinic has asked of you.
Then you rest
You lie down in a warm, quiet room while the needles do their work. Each one is as thin as a strand of hair. If anything feels sharp, tell me and I'll adjust it.
You leave with a plan
Before you leave, I'll suggest how often to come in, based on where you are and what's coming up.
Timed to your FET calendar
Every clinic's FET protocol looks a little different, so the plan follows yours.
- Preparing for transfer
- While your clinic prepares for transfer, visits focus on stress, sleep, and a steady routine.
- Around transfer day
- Sessions are timed to your transfer date and your clinic's instructions, and they stay gentle and quiet.
- The two-week wait
- Visits are about rest and getting through the days, not about changing the outcome.
- When dates move
- Transfers get rescheduled. Tell me when yours changes and I'll move your visits with it.
What the research shows about acupuncture and frozen transfer
Here is what published studies have found about acupuncture during fertility care, in plain language. The sources are listed below if you'd like to read them.
Before a frozen transfer
- A 2024 review of 38 trials with 5,991 women linked acupuncture in the weeks before a frozen transfer with higher pregnancy and live-birth rates.
Calmer through treatment
- A 2022 review of clinical trials found that acupuncture lowered anxiety for women going through IVF.
- In a large IVF trial, women who had acupuncture reported less anxiety right after embryo transfer than women who had a sham treatment.
Alongside your treatment
- Reviews of acupuncture during fertility treatment have not found that it raises miscarriage rates or causes significant side effects.
Studies vary in size and quality, and everyone responds differently. I'll always tell you honestly what I think acupuncture can do for you.
Sources
- Wang X et al. The timing and dose effect of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes for infertile women undergoing IVF and embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Complement Med, 2024.
- Hullender Rubin LE et al. Effect of acupuncture on IVF-related anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Reprod Biomed Online, 2022.
- Smith CA et al. Effects of acupuncture on anxiety and quality of life for women undergoing IVF. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 2018.
- Cheong YC et al. Acupuncture and assisted reproductive technology. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013.
Care from Jason Rinker
I'm Jason Rinker. I'm a licensed acupuncturist and a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), and I've practiced since 1999. Over those years, I've cared for many people going through IVF, FET, IUI, and other fertility treatments.
Every visit is with me from start to finish. I listen, I pay attention to how you're holding up, and I adjust as things change.
Every day, your body is repairing, healing, and renewing itself. It can even grow a whole new person. That's life's way, and it still amazes me. You don't have to do this alone.
- L.Ac., Licensed Acupuncturist
- Dipl. O.M., Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)
- Practicing since 1999
- Private practice in Columbia, PA
Questions people ask me
Transfer coming up?
Book your first visit online, or call or text me with your transfer date and I'll suggest how to plan around it.