The fertility journey is one of the most emotionally complex experiences a person can go
through.

For some, it begins with quiet optimism that gradually gives way to frustration and fear. For
others, it begins in grief, in the particular kind of loss that comes with a miscarriage, a loss the
world does not always know how to honor even when the person carrying it knows exactly how
real it was. And for others still, it begins with a fierce and focused determination to explore every
possible path before surrendering to the idea that this might not happen.

Wherever you are on that journey, you deserve care that meets you there. Not just clinically. As
a human being.

Three Paths That Lead Here

In my practice, fertility patients tend to arrive from one of three directions.

The first group is pursuing IVF or IUI and has been told, or discovered on their own, that weekly
acupuncture alongside their Western protocol can meaningfully improve outcomes. The
research in this area is compelling. A 2023 meta-analysis examining seven randomized
controlled trials found that acupuncture increased the number of eggs retrieved and improved
antral follicle counts, as well as estradiol and FSH levels. (Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology,
2023 meta-analysis, via cofertility.com) A 2021 randomized clinical trial at Pusan National
University Hospital found that acupuncture significantly increased the number of retrieved
mature oocytes compared to IVF alone, particularly in women over 37 and those who had
undergone previous stimulation cycles. (Source: Kim et al., Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021,
via berkleycenter.com)

On the question of uterine lining, a systematic review and meta-analysis published through the
National Institutes of Health found evidence that acupuncture may thicken the endometrium,
increase trilinear endometrial pattern, improve pregnancy rate, and improve embryo transfer
rate in women with low endometrial receptivity. (Source: PMC/NIH systematic review,
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6417024) A 2025 literature review published in Frontiers in
Physiology further confirmed that across multiple studies, acupuncture consistently produced
thicker endometrial measurements after treatment. (Source: Frontiers in Physiology, 2025,
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12368429)

These are not small variables. For someone who has already invested emotionally, physically,
and financially in IVF or IUI, every factor that can be optimized matters.

The second group has experienced one or more miscarriages and is seeking both recovery and
support in trying again. This is the group I feel most called to acknowledge with particular care.
A miscarriage is a loss. Even when the world around you moves on quickly, even when the pregnancy was early, even when people say things meant to be comforting that somehow make
it worse, the loss is real. A mother felt a presence. That presence is gone. That grief deserves to
be honored before anything else happens clinically. In my experience, this is also the group
where I see some of my strongest outcomes, and I believe that is not unrelated to the care
taken in honoring what came before.

The third group has been trying to conceive for some time without success and wants to explore
what acupuncture can offer before pursuing Western intervention. That instinct is a sound one,
and there is often more to work with than people realize.

The Assumption Nobody Questions

Here is something that rarely gets said in fertility conversations, and it should.

When a couple is struggling to conceive, the default assumption almost universally falls on the
female partner. She is the one referred to specialists. She is the one whose hormones are
tested, whose cycles are tracked, whose body becomes the primary focus of investigation. And
she carries the weight of that assumption quietly, often feeling as though the entire outcome
rests on her alone.

That assumption is frequently wrong. And even when it is partially right, it is never the complete
picture.

In cases where a couple comes in having tried to conceive without success, I request that both
partners seek treatment. This is not simply a clinical decision, though it is that too. It is an act of
equity. It removes the burden of sole responsibility from one partner and places both people on
the journey together. The shift that creates, not just physically but emotionally and relationally,
can be significant.

Treating Both Partners: What That Actually Looks Like

Treatment for the male partner in a fertility context is in many ways more straightforward than
treatment for the female partner, for one simple reason. He is not moving through the dynamic
hormonal shifts of a monthly cycle. That allows treatment to focus steadily and consistently on
bringing the system into equilibrium and maintaining it there, which is precisely what the 85%
philosophy of Kototama Inochi Medicine is designed to do.

Treatment for the female partner is more responsive and variable, shifting in focus depending
on where she is in her cycle at any given week. The approach adjusts continuously, supporting
egg development, uterine lining, implantation, or recovery depending on what that moment in
the cycle calls for.

What I consistently observe when both partners are involved in treatment is a stronger
connection between them. They are no longer in separate experiences of the same journey.
They are in it together. That shift matters in ways that go well beyond the clinical.

For the Patient Who Has Experienced Miscarriage

If you have come here after a loss, I want you to know that this space will honor that before
anything else.

I will not rush past what happened. I will not minimize it or reframe it prematurely into something more comfortable. What I will do is make room for you to share what you need to share, and I will listen. Fully. Without agenda.

That is where we begin. Everything else follows from there.

Coordinating With Your Western Care

If you are working with a reproductive endocrinologist or fertility clinic alongside acupuncture,
the coordination is straightforward. I stay closely informed about where you are in your Western
protocol and adjust treatment to meet the needs of that specific moment, whether that is
supporting egg retrieval, preparing for implantation, or supporting the body through a waiting
period.

You do not need your Western provider and your acupuncturist to have a formal relationship for
both to serve you well. You simply need both to understand where you are in the process.

Where to Begin

If you are navigating fertility, whether you are at the beginning of the journey, in the middle of a
Western protocol, or recovering from a loss and wondering what comes next, a conversation is
always a reasonable first step.

You do not need to have it all figured out before you come in. You simply need to be willing to
tell me where you are.

The rest we work out together.

7 Stones Acupuncture & Wellness serves patients throughout Sheboygan County and
Southeast Wisconsin. To schedule an appointment or ask a question, call or text (262) 622-
3602 or visit 7stonesacupuncture.com.