Lymphatic Drainage and Fertility Massage During IVF: How I Support Each Phase of Your Cycle

If you are going through IVF, you know how much your body is being asked to do. Hormonal injections that bloat and swell you. Bloodwork at dawn. Monitoring appointments that interrupt your week. Egg retrieval with anesthesia and recovery. Embryo transfer with its own preparation. Then waiting, waiting, waiting.

Almost every part of that process puts pressure on your lymphatic system, your reproductive organs, your hormones, and your nervous system, all at once. Bodywork does not make IVF work. Nothing does that except your medical team, your body, and luck. But the right bodywork can support your body through each phase in ways that are gentle, evidence-rooted, and genuinely pleasant.

I am Morgan Larson, LMT, CMLDT, owner of Firm and Flourish in Kinnelon, NJ. I work with IVF clients across every phase of their cycles, and the support I offer is more layered than a standard MLD session. Here is what I actually do, why each piece matters, and how I adapt the work to where you are.

The training behind this work

I bring 12+ years of full-body massage practice and 1000+ hours of advanced training to fertility care. I am a Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist trained in the Vodder method through the Academy of Lymphatic Studies. I am also fully trained in Claire Marie Miller Nurturing The Mother Fertility Massage. I completed this training in person with Claire herself, not through the home-study version, and I have been practicing it for 10 years.

That combination matters because the lymphatic and reproductive systems are not separate from each other. Most therapists in Morris County NJ are trained in one or the other. I am trained in both, and I weave them together intentionally.

The four modalities I bring to IVF sessions

I integrate four supportive modalities in my IVF work, adjusting which ones I use based on where you are in your cycle and what your reproductive endocrinologist has cleared.

Manual lymphatic drainage uses extremely light, rhythmic touch to move lymph fluid through your body's drainage pathways. It addresses the bloating that comes with stimulation, supports the clearance of exogenous hormones, and helps your nervous system drop into the parasympathetic state where implantation is most likely to happen.

Claire Marie Miller fertility massage is more direct work on the abdomen and reproductive area. It uses specific techniques to support uterine alignment, increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, release abdominal adhesions, and engage reflex points drawn from Mayan abdominal work and contemporary fertility traditions. This is the work that MLD intentionally does not do, and it is one of the strongest reasons clients in active fertility care seek me out.

Red light therapy on the abdomen is something I add when it is appropriate to your phase. Red light has emerging research support for fertility, with studies suggesting it can improve cellular energy, blood flow to the reproductive area, and uterine receptivity. I use it during pre-cycle prep and certain post-retrieval recovery sessions, and never on a confirmed pregnant abdomen.

Cycle-tuned essential oils are part of some sessions and not others. I use clinical-grade oils that I know to be safe for the specific stage you are in, and I skip them entirely during stimulation, around the time of transfer, and during pregnancy. Your RE's preference takes priority over mine. If your clinic asks you to avoid aromatherapy entirely, we will work without it.

How I adapt to each IVF phase

Each phase calls for a different combination of these modalities. Here is how I generally think about it, with the understanding that I always defer to your medical team's specific guidance.

Pre-cycle preparation. This is the window where I can do the most layered work. MLD supports overall lymphatic flow and hormonal clearance. Claire Marie Miller fertility massage works directly on the abdomen to support uterine alignment, blood flow, and the reproductive area more broadly. Red light therapy is appropriate here. Cycle-supporting essential oils are appropriate. Most clients in this phase come weekly or biweekly.

Stimulation phase. Once you start injectables, your ovaries become enlarged and physically vulnerable, and your abdominal sensitivity rises significantly. During this phase, I drop the abdominal work entirely. No fertility massage, no red light, no essential oils. The session shifts to gentle MLD focused on the upper body, neck, face, and axillary lymph nodes. The goal is to support fluid balance and nervous system regulation while staying completely clear of the abdomen and pelvic area.

Egg retrieval recovery. Retrieval is a minor surgery under anesthesia, and you will have post-procedure swelling and bloating. Once your physician clears any specific activity restrictions, MLD is excellent for supporting recovery and helping your body process the anesthesia. I keep abdominal work very light or skip it entirely during this window depending on how your body is feeling.

Between retrieval and transfer. This is often when people feel the most depleted. MLD continues. I may bring back gentle Claire Marie Miller fertility massage if your body has settled enough. Red light can return cautiously. Essential oils vary by client. The goal is to clear the residue of stimulation and prepare for transfer.

Around transfer. I generally hold off on bodywork for the 24 to 48 hours immediately around transfer. After that, the work is very gentle: MLD only, focused on the upper body, face, and nervous system. No abdominal work. No red light. No essential oils. Calm and minimal is the goal.

Two-week wait. Continued gentle MLD if you want it. Many clients find the parasympathetic shift from a session is the most relaxing thing they get during this anxious period. Still no abdominal work, no red light, no essential oils until pregnancy is either confirmed or ruled out.

During pregnancy. If your cycle works, the modality set shifts again. MLD remains throughout pregnancy. Pregnancy massage replaces the fertility-specific abdominal work. I do not use red light therapy on a pregnant abdomen, and I am very conservative with essential oils.

Research and clinical experience

The research on bodywork during IVF specifically is limited. Most of the published work on complementary fertility therapies focuses on acupuncture, where the evidence is stronger.

What we do have is broader evidence that MLD reliably reduces edema and inflammation, parasympathetic nervous system activation supports the conditions for implantation, lymphatic support after surgery (which retrieval is) accelerates recovery, and gentle bodywork is associated with reduced stress and better treatment outcomes in fertility patients overall. Red light therapy has emerging research support for fertility, with multiple studies showing improvements in uterine receptivity and reproductive cellular function, though the trials are still small.

I want to be honest: nobody has proven that any of this increases IVF success rates. What I can tell you is that thoughtful integrative bodywork makes the process more bearable, supports your body through each phase, and helps you arrive at transfer in a calmer, less inflamed state. Those are real, meaningful contributions even if they do not show up on a pregnancy test.

What to expect at an IVF-focused session

A first session begins with a thorough conversation. I want to know where you are in your cycle, what your physician has cleared, what symptoms you are experiencing, and what you need from a session. I tailor the work to where you are that day, not to a one-size-fits-all template.

I keep my practice deliberately small so I can give every IVF client the focus this work requires. More on why I work this way.

Many IVF clients also live with chronic conditions that complicate fertility, including endometriosis, autoimmune disease, and connective tissue disorders. I have written about my own path with chronic illness in The Hour on the Table.

Sessions are 60 or 90 minutes. I generally recommend 90 minutes during active IVF cycles because there is more ground to cover when whole-body, fertility-specific, and nervous-system support are all on the table.

The session itself is calm and gentle. Soft lighting, a quiet space, light covers, slow rhythmic work. Most clients fall asleep at some point. Afterward, plan to drink water and rest if you can. You may notice you sleep better that night, which is its own kind of medicine during IVF.

Working alongside your medical team

I am not a replacement for your reproductive endocrinologist, your fertility clinic, or any other medical provider. I work alongside their care, never instead of it. If you are under active IVF treatment, please always check with your physician before adding any bodywork to your protocol, and let me know what they have said. Most clinics are supportive once they understand what each piece actually involves, and I am happy to communicate with your care team if that would be helpful.

Ready to book

If you are in Morris County NJ and looking for thoughtful, integrative bodywork support during your IVF cycle, I would love to help. Book a session or schedule a free 15-minute consultation call first if you would rather talk through where you are in your cycle and what would actually help.

Wherever you are in this process, I am rooting for you.

Morgan Larson, LMT, CMLDT

Owner, Firm and Flourish Lymphatic Therapies

Kinnelon, NJ | Serving Morris County