Herbs Meta provides acupuncture as complementary support during IVF and IUI treatment in Richmond Hill, coordinated around each patient's fertility clinic and reproductive specialist. Current high-level evidence does not show that acupuncture directly improves IVF success or pregnancy rates; it may instead help reduce the stress and anxiety that accompany fertility treatment
Going through IVF or IUI is demanding, and many people look for something that helps them feel steadier through the process. Acupuncture is one of the most common complementary supports patients add during fertility treatment, and it is worth being clear about what it is for.
What acupuncture is for during fertility treatment
Acupuncture during a fertility cycle is best understood as support for you, not a treatment that changes your odds. The current high-level evidence does not show that acupuncture directly improves IVF success or pregnancy rates. What it can do is help reduce the stress and anxiety that come with treatment, which matters a great deal during an intensely demanding time. We will always be straight with you about that distinction.
Coordinated with your fertility clinic
At Herbs Meta, acupuncture here is secondary to the medical care a fertility clinic provides. We coordinate around your treatment plan and your reproductive specialist, never in place of them. Patients come to us from across Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan, and the wider area while under the care of fertility clinics throughout the GTA.
What to expect
If you want to know more about timing, our page on acupuncture before egg retrieval and embryo transfer covers the two points in your cycle where that timing tends to matter most. All of our practitioners are registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners, so where appropriate they can also advise on broader wellbeing through treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our services
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Current high-level evidence does not show that acupuncture directly improves IVF success or pregnancy rates. What it can do is help reduce the stress and anxiety that come with fertility treatment, which matters during an intensely demanding time, and this distinction is discussed openly with every patient.
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No. Acupuncture is coordinated around a patient's existing treatment plan and reproductive specialist, and is secondary to the medical care a fertility clinic provides. It is never positioned as a replacement for fertility clinic care, and any timing decisions are made in cooperation with that care team.
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Timing tends to matter most around two points in the cycle: before egg retrieval and around embryo transfer. All practitioners are registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and can advise on broader wellbeing support through the treatment process, coordinating scheduling around the fertility clinic's own calendar.
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Acupuncture is not covered by OHIP, but to claim under an extended health plan's acupuncture benefit, most insurers require a CTCMPAO-registered R.Ac or R.TCMP, as all Herbs Meta practitioners are. Direct billing is available through TELUS Health eClaims where a plan allows it.
Cost and coverage
A first visit is a 75 minute initial treatment at $150, with 60 minute standard treatments at $125 after that. Acupuncture from a registered acupuncturist is not covered by OHIP, but to claim under your plan's acupuncture benefit, most insurers require a CTCMPAO-registered R.Ac or R.TCMP, as all of ours are. We direct bill most major insurers through TELUS Health eClaims, so where your plan allows it, you pay only your share at the visit.
Meet Your Practitioners
Herbs Meta is staffed by registered TCM practitioners serving Richmond Hill.
Andrew Zheng, R.TCMP, R. Ac
Acupuncture, Herbal Prescription, Meridian Diagnostic
Andrew has dedicated over twenty years to study and practice of medicine. He holds an MD from UMC, Southwest Free Medical University (Sichuan) and completed TCM training at the Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He also serves as a TCM college instructor teaching Meridian, Acupuncture, Acupuncture Therapeutics, and Clinical Internship. Fluent in Chinese, English, and Russian.
Melody Tian, R.TCMP, R.Ac
Acupuncture, Herbal Prescription, TCM Diagnostics
Melody is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Registered Acupuncturist in Ontario, and an instructor at the Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (OCTCM). For nearly five years she has taught TCM diagnosis and supervised clinical internships. She excels in tongue diagnosis and holistic, root-cause approaches to care.
Yang Wang, R.Ac, R.TCMP
Chronic Pain, Internal Medicine, Urological Conditions, Acupuncture
Yang Wang is a highly skilled, dual-trained medical professional and fifth-generation TCM practitioner. He holds a Master of Surgery from Peking University and served as a Urologist at Beijing Renhe Hospital for 13 years. He completed an intensive two-year Western Medicine to TCM program at Beijing Xiyuan Hospital and graduated from the Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (OCTCM).
Wenhao Yang, R.TCMP, R.Ac
Acupuncture, Herbal Prescription
Eric is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Registered Acupuncturist in Ontario. He graduated from the Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and brings a thorough, patient-centred approach to assessment and treatment, with a focus on individualized care plans for both acute and long-standing health concerns.
Book a Chinese Herbal Medicine Consultation
At Herbs Meta, our CTCMPAO-registered practitioners provide personalized herbal prescriptions and acupuncture treatment plans tailored to your health goals.
- Sleep and stress support
- Digestive health
- Women's health and fertility
- Chronic fatigue
- TELUS Health direct billing available
What happens next:
- Book your appointment online and tell us your main concern.
- At your first visit, your registered practitioner takes a full history and assessment.
- You receive your treatment and a clear plan, with direct billing handled at the desk where your plan allows.
- You leave knowing your next step.
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