What Is Fertility Treatment? A Complete Guide to Tests, Hormones, and What They Mean for Your Body

Fertility treatment can feel confusing and overwhelming, especially when you're trying to understand IVF, IUI, hormones, and what they mean for your body.

By Lucia Iadinardi DAOM LAc

A few months ago, a patient came to see me. She had experienced a miscarriage and was still carrying the weight of that loss, emotionally, physically, and in every way that grief can settle into a person. She wanted to try again. She was hopeful, but she was also overwhelmed. Like many women beginning fertility treatment, she found herself facing a flood of questions, emotions, and uncertainty about what comes next.

She came to her appointment with a list of questions she had been afraid to ask her doctor. What is IUI? What is IVF? What is the difference between the two, and which one would be right for her? What are all these fertility tests for, and what are they actually testing? Are they painful? What hormones are being checked, why do they matter, and what do the values mean? And underneath all of those questions were the ones she was most afraid to say out loud: Do these results mean I am too old? Do they mean I waited too long? Do they mean I cannot have a baby? 

She was not asking because she was uninformed. She was asking because no one had taken the time to explain any of it to her in language she could understand. She was still in shock from her loss, still grieving, still trying to hold herself together while also trying to move forward. When you are carrying that kind of pain, it is nearly impossible to absorb complex medical information in a short appointment. She left with test results, medication instructions, and acronyms, but not with understanding. 

That feeling, of sitting in a doctor's office nodding along while understanding very little, is one of the most disempowering experiences a woman can have, especially when the decisions being made are about her body, her fertility, and her future. 

She is not alone. At the Moshen Center, we see this every day. Women at every stage of their fertility journey, carrying the same questions, the same fears, and the same desire to understand what is happening to their own bodies. 

What Is Fertility Treatment and How Does It Work?

Fertility treatment can be deeply intimidating. The procedures, the medications, the tests, the waiting, all of it can feel like too much, especially when you are carrying the emotional weight of wanting a child so badly. When women are afraid, vulnerable, and desperate to conceive, it

can be difficult to slow down and absorb what is being shared with them. Appointments are often short. The information is complex. And when you want something as deeply as you want a child, it can feel impossible to pause and ask for clarification. 

This series exists to change that. To give you the knowledge you need to understand what is happening to your body, feel prepared at every appointment, and make informed decisions about your own care. 

Acupuncture for Fertility: How TCM Supports Reproductive Health

Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture have a long and well-documented history of supporting reproductive health and overall well-being. Research continues to grow in this area, and many women find that integrating TCM into their fertility journey helps support their body, manage the physical and emotional demands of treatment, and create the conditions their body needs to respond well. At the Moshen Center, we are here to support you wherever you are in your journey and whatever path you choose. Whether you are just beginning to explore your options, are in the middle of treatment, or are navigating a loss and figuring out your next steps, we are here. You do not have to choose between Eastern and Western medicine. We believe both have a role to play. At our acupuncture clinic in NYC, we support women through every stage of their fertility journey.

Over the coming weeks and months, this series will cover hormones, fertility testing, IUI, IVF, medications, embryo quality, genetic testing, the two-week wait, supplements, nutrition, and conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, painful periods, and more. 

Knowledge is not just reassuring. It is powerful. And you deserve to have it. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, we’re here to support you. You don’t have to go through this alone.

I am Lucia Iadinardi, a doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine and a licensed acupuncturist at the Moshen Center. My practice focuses on fertility and women's health, and this series reflects what I believe every woman deserves to know. 

Welcome. Let us start from the beginning.