Can you do fertility massage during an IVF cycle? Should you do fertility massage during the two week wait? And other questions…
One of the most common questions I get asked is, ‘How should I time Mercier Therapy with my IVF cycle?”. Here are some guiding principles to help you time your fertility treatments, whether you’re trying to conceive naturally, or through IVF.
If you’re trying to conceive naturally:
If you are trying to conceive naturally, Mercier Therapy and fertility massage is wonderfully supportive, increasing blood circulation, improving the abundance and quality of cervical fluid, and supporting the growth of a healthy, thick uterine lining for implantation. You can receive treatment during any time of the cycle, whether if be before ovulation, during ovulation, after ovulation, or during your period. Some people might be concerned about receiving deep abdominal and pelvic bodywork during the ‘two week wait’, but in most cases, if a pregnancy is implanted, healthy, and growing, then it’s not likely to budge or be disrupted by massage. However, if you’ve had a history of recurrent miscarriage and/or you’d feel more comfortable not doing massage during the two week wait after ovulation, then it’s recommended to stick to treatments before you ovulate.
If you’re trying to conceive through IVF:
Mercier Therapy is an essential component of fertility treatment to supplement IVF cycles. It can be done at many times surrounding the medical treatments, but not ALL times.
Most importantly, you should not receive fertility massage during the hormone stimulation injection period prior to egg retrieval. This is because the hormones used make your ovaries very full and heavy with many large egg follicles (much more so than a natural, non-medicated cycle). Deep pelvic massage during this time can contribute to a higher risk of ovarian torsion, which is a serious medical complication we want to avoid.
Other than during the stimulation and egg retrieval phase of an IVF cycle, you can and should receive Mercier Therapy:
Before the IVF cycle starts. Mercier Therapy is a wonderful way to prepare the ovarian environment for a robust response to the stimulation drugs, helping you get more eggs of higher quality. See below for a longer note on Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Egg Quality.
Before a frozen embryo transfer. After your eggs have been retrieved, and you are waiting for an embryo transfer, your entire focus should be on the health of the uterine lining. When the embryo is transferred, you want the uterus to be thick, richly oxygenated, and ready to support a growing pregnancy. Mercier Therapy is one of the best ways you can support the health and development of the uterine lining. You can do this fertility massage beginning at least two weeks after your egg retrieval, and up until the time of the embryo transfer (even the day before!). Furthermore, massage during this time can help address any scar tissue created during the surgical procedure of egg retrieval.
Mercier Therapy and fertility massage can have benefits that last for months. If you are trying to conceive, and are thinking about an IVF cycle down the road, and not immediately, you don’t have to wait. Fertility massage can have a positive impact on the health of your eggs and hormonal environment that lasts until you decide to start IVF.
A special note on Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Egg Quality
If you’ve been diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), have low AMH levels, or “poor egg quality”, have hope. There is now more and more research showing that DOR and low AMH is not a product of age alone. Egg quality can be impacted and changed by environmental factors. The life cycle of an egg is 90 days, so diet, lifestyle, and other changes done in the early part of the egg’s life cycle can improve its ready to be released and fertilized. If you’re concerned about poor egg quality, diminished ovarian reserve, or low AMH levels, receiving fertility massage 90 days (3 months) before trying to conceive naturally, or before doing an IVF cycle may help improve the quality of the eggs maturing at the time of conception or retrieval.