By Dr. Alicia Masiulis, DACCHM, L.Ac., FABORM

Here are five effective ways to improve your fertility:

  1. Find your fertility factors with functional lab work. Lab testing cannot always predict how quickly you will become pregnant, but it can help you understand how to combine holistic support with assisted reproductive technologies to improve outcomes. Advanced testing—such as a functional medicine stool test or a micronutrient panel—can provide valuable insight into factors that may influence fertility (e.g., detoxification issues, methylation defects, inflammation).
  2. Supercharge your sperm. Get your male factor tested and ensure your sperm parameters are in the top 50% of World Health Organization criteria. Did you know the egg can repair DNA errors in sperm (Li, 2025)? Fewer errors mean the egg can conserve more mitochondrial energy for growth. The good news: new sperm are produced every 70–90 days. What you do for your health today will positively affect sperm quality three months from now.
  3. Tap into creativity to regulate stress. Engage in a creative hobby or passion outside of work and the process of trying to conceive. Shifting your focus can ease the stress often associated with the journey. Most preconception protocols take 3–6 months, so while you are preparing to conceive, you can use your creative outlet to create space for your future child, spark genuine joy, and regulate stress hormones.
  4. Eat for your fertility body type. Use your blood sugar regulation markers as a guide for healthy eating. Some people may need to gain weight to support fertility, while others may benefit from losing a few pounds. Your healthcare provider can help you translate these insights into a personalized nutrition plan.
  5. Get weekly acupuncture. Research shows acupuncture can calm the nervous system, reduce stress, improve uterine blood flow, decrease prostaglandin production, lower inflammatory markers, and regulate the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis (Cochrane, 2014). Whole Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine—which may include acupuncture, supplements, dietary changes, and lifestyle recommendations—has also been shown to improve in vitro fertilization (IVF) rates (Rubin, 2015).

Alicia is available for lab testing, supplement and herbal medicine consultations and acupuncture. You can schedule with her here.

References:

  1. 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, 313-325.
  2. Rubin, L. E. H., Opsahl, M. S., Wiemer, K. E., Mist, S. D., & Caughey, A. B. (2015). Impact of whole systems traditional Chinese medicine on in-vitro fertilization outcomes. Reproductive biomedicine online, 30(6), 602-612.
  3. Li, N., Wang, H., Zou, S., Yu, X., & Li, J. (2025). Perspective in the mechanisms for repairing sperm DNA damage. Reproductive Sciences, 32(1), 41-51.
Chinese Medicine, Functional Endocrinology, Functional Medicine, Holistic Nutrition