Mercier Therapy for Fertility & Pelvic Balance
Most couples seeking fertility treatment feel overwhelmed by the pressure, cost, and intensity of traditional reproductive medicine. If you’ve been told that IVF or medications are your only path forward, or you’re simply looking for a more holistic approach to understanding your body before taking those steps, Mercier Therapy may offer the clarity, balance, and support you’ve been missing. We often find that individuals are counseled by traditional reproductive medicine providers to pursue interventions, surgeries, or hormonal supplements that don’t actually get to the root of infertility concerns.
Mercier Therapy is an approach used to improve pelvic organ mobility and restore blood flow, specifically designed to support reproductive health. At OWN Your Pelvic Health, we use this work to help women reconnect with their bodies, optimize their natural cycles, and move toward conception - whether naturally or alongside medical care.
What is Mercier Therapy?
Mercier Therapy is a gentle, manual treatment technique created by fertility specialist and midwife Dr. Jennifer Mercier. It combines visceral manipulation, myofascial release, and gentle abdominal and pelvic mobilization to restore balance and movement in the reproductive organs.
Unlike internal pelvic floor therapy, Mercier Therapy is performed externally only. The work focuses on the abdomen, lower pelvis, hips, and the surrounding connective tissue supporting the uterus and ovaries.
The goal is simple: free the pelvis from restrictions so the reproductive system can function at its highest potential. This is especially important because the uterus and ovaries are surrounded by ligaments, fascia, and blood vessels. When these structures become tight, stuck, or restricted - whether from surgery, inflammation, trauma, endometriosis, or long-term stress - the natural flow of blood, lymph, and hormones can be disrupted. Mercier Therapy aims to restore that natural harmony.
How Mercier Therapy Supports Fertility
While no therapy can guarantee conception, Mercier Therapy is known for creating a more optimal environment for reproductive success. Here’s how:
1. Improves blood flow to ovaries and uterus
Healthy blood flow is foundational for egg quality, hormone delivery, uterine lining thickness, and overall reproductive function. By decreasing fascial restrictions and enhancing pelvic mobility, Mercier Therapy helps increase circulation where your fertility system needs it most.
2. Supports nervous system regulation
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, suppresses reproductive hormones, disrupts ovulation, and lengthens or shortens cycles. Mercier Therapy is grounding, supportive, and deeply parasympathetic, helping the body shift out of “fight or flight” and into a state where reproduction is actually possible. If your body feels like it is always running from a tiger, it’s not going to think it’s safe to create a baby. This treatment helps your body feel safe and more likely to conceive.
3. Reduces pelvic adhesions and restrictions
Scar tissue (from C-sections, laparoscopies, appendectomies, endometriosis excision, etc.) can limit organ movement. The uterus should move like a balloon - expanding, contracting, and shifting with breath and movement. Mercier Therapy helps soften adhesions, restore mobility, and decrease inflammation.
4. Encourages hormonal balance
By increasing pelvic blood flow and improving communication between organs and the endocrine system, Mercier Therapy supports more regulated cycles and ovulation patterns, which are key pillars of fertility.
5. Helps prepare the pelvis for IUI/IVF cycles
For women choosing assisted reproductive technology, Mercier Therapy can complement medical treatment by improving uterine lining quality, circulation, and pelvic relaxation.
What Happens During a Mercier Therapy Session
Like all of our care, Mercier Therapy is centered around your needs and goals. Here’s what you can expect:
1. A collaborative, whole-body assessment
We begin with a detailed conversation about your cycle, symptoms, fertility history, surgeries, digestion, stress, sleep, and any previous fertility treatments.
We also assess:
Pelvic positioning
Core and abdominal tension
Breathing patterns
Fascial mobility
Nervous system regulation
Uterine and ovarian mobility (via external palpation)
2. Gentle abdominal and pelvic manual therapy
Sessions involve slow, intentional work over the abdomen, hips, and sacrum. Techniques may include:
Visceral mobilization
Myofascial release
Uterine/ovarian mobility
Lymphatic drainage
Scar tissue mobilization
Most clients describe it as grounding, relieving, and emotionally centering. It is deeper tissue work, so it can feel intense and cause a little soreness after the first session or two. We never want to force tissues or create discomfort, so we work at the level that feels right for each person.
3. Cycle tracking & fertility education
Our team always provides education to help clients understand their cycle phases, ovulation cues, and lifestyle strategies to support fertility. Because fertility is multifactorial, our therapists will guide you toward appropriate integrative providers when needed. Depending on your symptoms, history, and goals, we may refer you to functional medicine providers for root-cause hormonal testing, dietitians specializing in fertility nutrition, acupuncturists for cycle regulation, or reproductive endocrinologists if medical intervention becomes appropriate. Our goal is not to replace medical care, but to help you assemble the right team so you’re supported physically, hormonally, and emotionally.
4. A personalized care plan
Depending on your goals, we may incorporate breath work, pelvic mobility exercises, restorative movement, supplements/nutrition recommendations, and referrals for labs or integrative care.
Who is Mercier Therapy For?
Mercier Therapy is an excellent option for women who:
Are trying to conceive naturally
Want more clarity about their menstrual cycle
Experience irregular periods, anovulatory cycles, or PMS
Have a history of pelvic surgeries (C-section, laparoscopy, appendectomy, etc.)
Have endometriosis or suspected endometriosis
Experience pelvic pain, painful periods, or pain with ovulation
Have PCOS and want to support more regulated cycles
Are preparing for IUI or IVF
Are seeking fertility support before committing to medical treatments
Feel disconnected from their pelvic health or overwhelmed by fertility stress
It’s also supportive for women who simply want better pelvic balance, digestion, and overall wellness, not just those trying to conceive.
Is Mercier Therapy Right for You?
If you’re unsure whether Mercier Therapy is the right first - or next - step, consider the following questions:
Are you looking for a more natural or holistic approach to fertility?
Do you want to understand your cycle deeper before jumping to medical intervention?
Have you been diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”?
Do you feel like your body is holding tension, inflammation, or stress in your abdomen or pelvis?
Have you experienced pelvic surgery or trauma?
Are you looking for a therapy that complements, not competes with, medical fertility care?
If you answered yes to any of these, Mercier Therapy could be a powerful addition to your wellness or fertility journey.
The Science Behind Mercier Therapy
While Mercier Therapy stems from decades of clinical experience, its effectiveness also aligns with current understandings of pelvic physiology.
1. Organ mobility matters: The uterus and ovaries aren’t fixed structures. They move and glide with breath, movement, digestion, and the menstrual cycle. Restricted organs can impact hormone signaling and blood flow.
2. Fascia influences hormones: Fascial tightness around the reproductive organs may alter the balance of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone by changing blood flow and mechanical signaling.
3. Stress impacts fertility more than most women realize: Elevated cortisol can disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, delaying or suppressing ovulation. Manual therapy that promotes parasympathetic nervous system activity directly helps balance the HPO axis.
4. Blood flow is foundational: Every hormone, nutrient, and oxygen molecule reaches the reproductive system through blood. Improving local circulation is one of the simplest, most evidence-supported ways to support fertility.
5. Manual therapy supports inflammation reduction: Chronic pelvic inflammation (endometriosis, surgery, gut issues) decreases mobility and increases pain. Mercier Therapy helps break this cycle.
Dr. Mercier has completed several research studies over the past 15 years to support the benefits of this protocol for fertility support and regulating menstrual health. According to a 2012 study published in the Midwifery Today journal, Mercier Therapy has an 83% pregnancy success rate within one year of receiving Mercier Therapy. If you’d like to learn more, please visit her site HERE.
Embrace Holistic Healing for Fertility and Pelvic Wellness
You deserve to understand your body, feel confident in your fertility options, and receive care that honors both your physical and emotional experience. Mercier Therapy can be a powerful step toward reconnecting with your body, understanding your cycle, decreasing pelvic pain, improving reproductive balance and preparing for conception - naturally or with medical support. We’re here to help you reclaim your sense of hope and ease. If you’re curious about Mercier Therapy or wondering if it’s right for you, our team at OWN Your Pelvic Health is here to help you explore your options! Schedule an appointment to learn more!