A fertility journey that takes longer than hoped is hard — every single month again. Lily Chen guides women and couples with acupuncture and TCM: focused on your cycle, balance and relaxation, either as standalone support or alongside a medical fertility treatment. No empty promises — just genuine care.
In TCM, the menstrual cycle is seen as a mirror of the body's overall balance. An irregular cycle, heavy or absent periods, PMS, or persistent fatigue are all signs that this balance is disrupted. Acupuncture works to restore it: regulating the cycle, supporting blood flow to the lower abdomen, and calming a nervous system that has been under high pressure from months — or years — of hoping and disappointment.
Honesty matters on this topic: acupuncture cannot open blocked fallopian tubes and offers no guarantee of pregnancy — anyone who promises that deserves your distrust. What acupuncture can do is improve the conditions in which a pregnancy can occur, and support you through a medical trajectory with a gynaecologist or fertility clinic. Lily works alongside that process, never in place of it — and during the intake she also takes the time for the story behind your wish to have children, because that deserves just as much attention as the cycle itself.
A regular, symptom-free cycle is the foundation. Lily treats according to cycle phase: building in the first half, supportive around ovulation, calming in the second half. For an irregular cycle, PCOS-related symptoms, or a disrupted cycle after stopping the pill, this can noticeably improve cycle regularity and quality.
Many patients combine acupuncture with treatment at a fertility clinic. Lily times sessions around the phases of your protocol — during preparation, around egg retrieval, and around embryo transfer. The scientific evidence for higher success rates is mixed; what is consistent is that many women find the process calmer and easier to sustain with acupuncture alongside it.
A prolonged fertility journey brings a quiet, constant tension that the body feels. Acupuncture activates the parasympathetic nervous system and improves sleep and energy — for many patients, the treatment is the one hour a month where the wish to have children is simply allowed to exist without demanding anything. Partners are welcome too: in men, acupuncture can support stress relief and overall wellbeing.
Not sure whether acupuncture fits your situation or treatment path? Get in touch — Lily offers honest advice, free of obligation.
Lily takes ample time: your cycle in detail, any test results from your GP or gynaecologist, how long you've been trying to conceive, and how you yourself are doing. Based on this, she identifies which TCM pattern is at play and creates a treatment plan suited to your situation and any medical trajectory you're following. You receive your first treatment right away.
Fertility can't be adjusted in two weeks — an egg takes roughly three months to mature. Plan for a course of at least three cycles, typically with weekly or biweekly sessions timed to your cycle phase. Lily evaluates what the cycle shows along the way.
Following a treatment path at a fertility clinic? Lily plans sessions around the phases of your protocol — stimulation, egg retrieval, embryo transfer. She thinks along without overstepping the doctor's role: medical decisions always stay with your gynaecologist.
If you become pregnant, treatment can continue as support through the early months and for pregnancy-related complaints. If things go differently, there is room to recover — including after a miscarriage or an unsuccessful attempt, acupuncture can help you regain strength physically and emotionally.
| Session | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|
| First visit (incl. consultation & treatment plan) | 85 min | €100 |
| Follow-up treatment | 60 min | €90 |
| Extended session | 90 min | €105 |
✓ Reimbursed by most Dutch supplementary insurance plans — Zhong NVTCG & S.C.A.G registered. Simply submit the invoice to your insurer after treatment. More about insurance →
"My cycle had been irregular for years. After a few months of treatment with Lily it became more stable than it had ever been. But what I appreciated most: she never promised me the world."
"During our IVF journey, acupuncture was my calm point. Lily timed everything around the clinic's protocol and thought along with us at every step. It made the whole process feel much more manageable."
"After two years of trying, I got pregnant last spring. Whether it was because of the acupuncture, I'll never know for certain — but I slept better, felt better in myself, and finally felt heard."
Acupuncture can improve the conditions in which a pregnancy can occur: a more regular cycle, better blood flow to the lower abdomen, less stress and better sleep. No one can guarantee a pregnancy — and any practitioner who claims otherwise should not be trusted. During the intake, Lily discusses honestly what is realistic to expect in your situation.
Acupuncture can safely be combined with an IVF, ICSI or IUI treatment path and is experienced by many patients as a valuable addition. Research into higher success rates shows mixed results — we're honest about that. What is consistently reported is less stress and a process that's easier to sustain. Lily times treatments around the phases of your protocol.
Ideally around three months before you plan to actively start trying or begin a medical treatment path — an egg takes about three months to mature, so changes in balance and cycle need time to take effect. But even if your treatment path has already started, acupuncture can join in at any point.
Plan for a course of at least three menstrual cycles, with weekly to biweekly sessions timed to your cycle phase. If you're being supported through an IVF or IUI path, the planning follows your clinic's protocol. Lily discusses what makes sense for your situation during the intake.
Yes. Fertility is a story of two people, and acupuncture can support men too — particularly with stress, sleep problems and overall wellbeing, factors that play a role in fertility. For abnormal sperm quality, investigation and treatment through a urologist or fertility clinic remains the starting point; acupuncture can be used alongside that.
Yes, under most supplementary (aanvullende) insurance plans. Tianyi is Zhong NVTCG & S.C.A.G registered. After each treatment you receive an invoice with an AGB code to submit to your insurer.
If you've been trying to conceive for more than a year (or more than six months if you're over 35), medical investigation through your GP is a good idea — acupuncture doesn't replace that investigation. Knowing what's medically going on also makes the acupuncture treatment more targeted. Both paths can run alongside each other perfectly well.
Book an appointment today. Your first session is always a getting-to-know-you visit — including a thorough intake and honest advice on what acupuncture can mean for your situation.
