We listen first
A 60 to 90 minute first session with the time to be properly heard: history, medications, sleep, digestion, energy, mood, and cycle. Pulse and tongue diagnosis follow, and you leave with a TCM working diagnosis you understand.
Fertility
IVF Booster
Cycle-coordinated IVF acupuncture in Marylebone for women in active IVF, ICSI, IUI, or frozen-embryo transfer cycles, with each session timed to your clinic schedule, including the Paulus Protocol of pre- and post-transfer needling, always working alongside your fertility clinic.
The short answer
What this treatment is
The IVF Booster is our active-cycle support package. Weekly acupuncture is timed to your stimulation, scan, egg-collection, and transfer schedule, and the centrepiece is the Paulus Protocol: a defined needling sequence delivered immediately before and immediately after embryo transfer.
We are careful about the evidence. The original Paulus 2002 data reported a higher clinical-pregnancy rate with peri-transfer (around the time of transfer) acupuncture, but the best-quality evidence since, the Cochrane review of acupuncture and assisted reproduction, found no evidence that acupuncture improves live-birth or pregnancy rates. Claudia offers the Booster as supportive care alongside your clinic's treatment and makes no promises about outcomes. What many women do value is the attention to the stress-physiology response and the sleep disruption a stimulation cycle can bring.
The Booster works well after cycle preparation through fertility acupuncture or the 12 Weeks Fertility Reset Protocol, and it sits within our wider fertility care.
Transfer day
Maximise Your IVF Success with Pre- and Post-Transfer Acupuncture
The day of your embryo transfer is one of the most significant moments in your IVF journey. To create the best possible environment for implantation, we offer specialised pre- and post-transfer acupuncture treatments designed to support your body and mind during this critical window.
This approach is modelled after the well-known Paulus Protocol. The original 2002 trial reported a higher clinical-pregnancy rate for IVF patients who received acupuncture shortly before and after embryo transfer, but the best-quality evidence since, the Cochrane review of acupuncture and assisted reproduction, found no evidence that acupuncture improves pregnancy or live-birth rates. We offer these sessions as calming, supportive care around transfer, and we make no promises about outcomes.
The Goal: A Calm Body and a Receptive Uterus
The entire focus of these two sessions is to optimise the conditions for a successful implantation. This is not a full constitutional treatment but a targeted, gentle, and calming therapy.
1. Pre-Transfer Acupuncture (The “Welcome”)
When: This session is ideally performed within 24 hours prior to your scheduled transfer.
What it does: The primary goal is to promote deep relaxation, calm your nervous system, and dilate the cervix. By increasing blood flow to the uterus, we help create a thick, nourishing, and receptive uterine lining for the incoming embryo. This treatment helps soothe anxiety and puts you in a peaceful state of mind before you head to your clinic.
2. Post-Transfer Acupuncture (The “Nurture”)
When: This session is performed within 24 hours post transfer.
What it does: The focus of the post-transfer treatment is to continue the calming effect, reduce uterine cramping and contractions, and support the closure of the cervix. By maintaining a relaxed internal environment, we help encourage the embryo to settle in and implant successfully. This session helps your body remain in a restful state, giving the embryo its best chance to thrive.
Why It Works
Reduces Stress
Lowers levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which can interfere with implantation.
Increases Blood Flow
Ensures the uterus is well-nourished and ready for the embryo.
Prevents Uterine Contractions
Gentle acupuncture helps relax the uterine muscle, preventing spasms that could hinder implantation.
By building this protocol into your transfer day, you are taking a proactive step to calm your body and support yourself through the implantation window. We offer it as supportive care alongside your clinic's treatment, and we make no promises about outcomes.
At your first appointment there is time to be properly heard
Your history, your cycle, your energy, and what matters to you. The first session runs 60 to 90 minutes depending on the service: medical history, current medications, sleep, digestion, energy, mood, and your menstrual cycle where relevant. Pulse and tongue diagnosis follow, and from this we arrive at a TCM working diagnosis you understand.
You leave with a written summary of what was done, why, and the plan for your next session.
Claudia provides the best lymphatic drainage massage in London. She can scan your body like no one else. I almost fell asleep during my 90-minute session — the time flew by. Thank you Claudia!
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Claudia is a true healer! I arrived very tense after a long flight and she was able to help calm and reset my nervous system. I highly recommend the 1-hour lymphatic massage.
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I had a great lymphatic drainage session with Claudia. After having sinus surgery to remove polyps and dealing with congestion, I felt so much better after the session. Highly recommend!
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Claudia is wonderful. Her treatments are incredibly relaxing. She is attentive and asks questions ahead of time to be more targeted during the sessions. Her treatment rooms promote a sense of calm. I would highly recommend her!
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Fees and booking
Book by WhatsApp or phone on +44 7455 005 334. We agree a clear plan at your first session and reassess it at every visit, so you always know what your care involves and why.
- First consultations run 60 to 90 minutes depending on the service; follow-ups are 60 to 75 minutes
- Fertility acupuncture from £125 for the initial 90-minute consultation, with follow-ups at £85
- Lymphatic drainage from £130 for 60 minutes, or £160 for 90 minutes
- Programme, herbal, and block fees are confirmed at your first consultation
Your journey
with Body Perfected
Every plan starts with being properly heard. We find what is driving your picture, treat it with the right combination of pillars, and evolve the plan with you as your body responds.
Treatment, tailored to you
Acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, tuina, manual lymphatic drainage, herbal formula: chosen for your TCM diagnosis, not by default. Sessions run 60 to 75 minutes, and you leave each one with a written summary of what was done and why.
We evolve with you
Pulse, tongue, and current symptoms are reassessed at every visit, and the toolkit and herbal formula adjust as the picture shifts. Plans are agreed in 6-week or 12-week blocks, so you always know where you are in the arc.
Care that lasts
As things settle, treatment moves to a maintenance frequency: keeping your cycle, energy, and recovery steady. Where you have a GP, fertility clinic, or surgeon involved, we coordinate with them throughout.
Integrative care that treats the cause of your symptoms. Rooted in 2,000 years of Chinese medicine, delivered for modern life, from Marylebone since 2010.
- You see the same practitioner at every visit, so your TCM diagnosis (pulse, tongue, history) carries forward and treatment evolves as the picture shifts.
- Over 20 years of clinical practice across 4 integrative pillars: acupuncture, nutritional therapy, Chinese herbal medicine, and manual lymphatic drainage.
- Rated 4.8 on Google from 68 reviews, at 1 Orchard Street: 3 minutes from Bond Street and Marble Arch tube stations.
- We work alongside conventional medicine: with your consent, treatment notes are shared with your GP, fertility clinic, or surgeon.
Fertility, acupuncture and lymphatic drainage
- Fertility acupuncture, timed to the phase of your cycle
- IVF, ICSI, IUI, and frozen-transfer support, including the Paulus Protocol
- The 12 Weeks Fertility Reset Protocol
- Traditional acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and tuina
- Chinese herbal medicine
- Nutritional therapy for fertility and women's health
- Manual lymphatic drainage for post-op recovery, lipoedema, and postpartum swelling
- Miscarriage and postpartum recovery care
Areas treated
What's included
- Cycle-coordinated with your fertility clinic: stimulation, scan, collection, transfer dates
- Paulus Protocol: pre- and post-transfer acupuncture in the recommended window
- Stress, sleep, and side-effect support during stimulation
- BAcC-registered, postgraduate TCM Gynaecology & Obstetrics training
- WhatsApp clinical support across the active cycle
- Trauma-aware practice for women with prior failed cycles
- Home visits available around transfer day
Written and medically reviewed byClaudia Ferreira, BSc (Hons) Traditional Chinese Medicine · MBAcC · Postgraduate TCM Gynaecology & Obstetrics · British Acupuncture Council (BAcC). The Paulus Protocol is published in Fertility & Sterility (Paulus et al., 2002, doi: 10.1016/S0015-0282(01)03273-3). The Cochrane review of acupuncture and assisted reproduction (CD006920, Cheong et al., 2013), which found no evidence of improved live-birth or pregnancy rates, is cited here for transparency..
FAQ
Common
questions
When should I start IVF Booster sessions?
Ideally at least 1 to 2 weeks before stimulation begins so we can do the planning session, agree the schedule, and run a settling session before the cycle. Where you arrive mid-cycle (already on stimulation), we still run the Booster, but the Paulus Protocol benefits most from settling sessions beforehand.
Can I have acupuncture on the day of egg collection?
Generally yes the day before, and not the day of, when you are sedated and in clinic. Post-collection acupuncture is offered in the days after to address bloating and ovarian-hyperstimulation-style symptoms where they arise. We follow your fertility-clinic guidance if they have specific instructions.
Is the Paulus Protocol guaranteed to work?
No, and we never promise a clinical-pregnancy rate. The original Paulus 2002 trial reported a higher clinical-pregnancy rate, but subsequent trials produced mixed results, and the Cochrane review of acupuncture and assisted reproduction found no evidence of improved live-birth or pregnancy rates. The Paulus Protocol is supportive care delivered as part of an integrative approach, not a fertility treatment in its own right.
Will my fertility clinic mind me using acupuncture?
Most UK fertility clinics are familiar with peri-transfer acupuncture and will accommodate Paulus timing. We will share our treatment notes with your clinic on request, and we never recommend stopping prescribed medication. If your clinic has a specific concern, we work to their guidance.
What is the difference between the IVF Booster and the 12 Weeks Fertility Reset Protocol?
The 12 Weeks Fertility Reset Protocol is the 12-week preparation programme, built for the time before an IVF cycle (or alongside trying naturally). The IVF Booster is the active-cycle support package, built for the weeks of an actual IVF, ICSI, IUI, or frozen-embryo transfer cycle. Many clients run the 12 Weeks Fertility Reset Protocol as preparation, then transition into the IVF Booster for the active cycle.
Get Started
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Book today.
Body Perfected • 1 Orchard Street, London W1H 6HJ
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