Red light isn't just for spa days...

Red light therapy is one of those treatments that sounds a bit sci-fi until you look at the research behind it, and then it starts making a lot of sense.

The fertility treatment that sounds made up until you read the research

Red light therapy has a bit of a branding problem. It sounds like something you’d find between the crystal healing and the sound baths, and I say that as someone who now offers it in clinic. Bear with me.

The actual mechanism is straightforward.

Red and near-infrared light penetrates tissue to roughly over 1000 nm deep, which means it’s reaching organs, not just sitting on the surface of your skin.

At that level it acts on mitochondria, the part of your cells responsible for producing energy. When mitochondrial function improves, cells work better, repair faster, and respond more effectively to everything else you’re throwing at them.

For fertility patients, that’s not a small thing.

Egg quality is directly tied to mitochondrial activity. Eggs are among the most mitochondria-dense cells in the body, and mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the more significant and underappreciated contributors to poor fertilisation rates and embryo development.

There’s also emerging research around endometrial receptivity, circulation to reproductive tissue, and systemic inflammation, all of which are relevant to implantation and cycle outcomes.

If you’ve been told your lining is thin, your egg quality is a concern, or your embryos aren’t developing as expected, the mitochondrial picture is worth understanding.

The same mechanism also supports thyroid function, reduces inflammation, improves circulation, and has a measurable effect on sleep and circadian rhythm. It does good things for your skin too, which is genuinely a side effect rather than the point, but I’m not going to pretend people aren’t pleased about it.

The evidence sits around weekly sessions over eight to twelve weeks. This isn’t a one-off. The studies are built around consistent treatment over time, and that’s what produces meaningful change. A single session isn’t going to do much, the same way a single acupuncture appointment isn’t going to regulate your cycle.

We now offer medical-grade red light therapy at the clinic, included as part of an acupuncture appointment for $95. If you’re in IVF prep, working on egg quality, or just want to give your cells a proper recharge, then this is the treatment you need.

And if the mitochondrial side of egg quality is something you want to understand better, I’ll be writing more on that soon!