Fertility acupuncture
There is a famous Chinese proverb “When the soil is well prepared, the harvest will be bountiful.”
What is fertility acupuncture?
There has been a lot of research into the benefits of acupuncture assisting in assisted reproductive medicine. However even for couples planning to fall pregnant naturally, acupuncture may be used to support your health when preparing your body for pregnancy. Not only de we focus on the physical aspects of fertility, we also use acupuncture for stress relief, which is often a byproduct when you are struggling to fall pregnant.
Fertility acupuncture is not a quick fix. It is not a one or two or three treatment wonder. It is not going to perform miracles in a couple of treatments to help you fall pregnant or improve the outcomes of an IVF cycle. It is a therapy, which means weekly acupuncture for up to 3 months or more.
Benefits of acupuncture for fertility
For pregnancy, we want quality eggs and sperm and a healthy well nourished uterine lining. By improving blood flow to your uterus and ovaries with acupuncture, we improve the nourishment they receive. The menstrual cycle is an intricate web of many physiological systems that all effect our ability to conceive. There are hormonal fluctuations and changes through the cycle which we support with weekly acupuncture.
Chinese herbs and other supplements will also be prescribed to improve the quality of eggs, sperm and uterine lining. We want the uterine lining to be flush with fresh blood and remove any old stagnant blood that may inhibit implantation of an embryo. This is one of the reasons we ask a lot about the quality of your menstrual blood during treatment. Is the blood thick and viscous, is it thin and watery, do you have clots, how big are they and what colour are they? It tells us about the quality of your uterine lining.
Fertility acupuncture and IVF
Research has shown women receiving acupuncture or whole system Chinese medicine (acupuncture, herbs, life style and diet advice) with IVF improve their chances of a baby. If you have been advised to start IVF, and want to use acupuncture as an adjunct to improve your chances of success, reduce stress and anxiety and improve your health, start with 3 months of acupuncture and Chinese herbs with life style changes to prepare your body for that success. When you are going to embark an IVF journey for your dreams of motherhood, it is also wise to prepare your body to promote the success of IVF.
Why three months?
Fertility acupuncture is a therapy that requires sustained weekly acupuncture treatments for at least 3 months.
Why is this important? Three months of acupuncture treatment is treatment of three menstrual cycles. Three months is usually needed to get the full effect of the treatment. This does not guarantee pregnancy after three months. It may take up to and over a year or two. Chinese medicine is not a quick fix.
Within the three months of treatment you will notice changes – changes in overall feeling of wellbeing, changes in your menstrual cycle and digestive system. Symptoms will improve as your body moves towards balance and restoration. The imbalance in your body that has caused fertility issues don’t happen overnight and nor does fixing it. If you have had numerous IVF failed cycles or finding it difficult to conceive naturally, there is work to be done and it doesn’t happen in a week.
Pregnancy requires good quality eggs and sperm, and the right environment in the uterus for implantation and development of the embryo. And this is where Chinese medicine excels.
Acupuncture is not a 1, 2 or 3 treatment wonder.
Unfortunately, many women give up acupuncture after just a few treatments and/or after a failed cycle and think acupuncture does not work. Or waiting 3 months seems like a lifetime when you want to be pregnant. It is a big ask, a really big ask. However, it does really make sense to completely prepare your body for the best possible outcome, if, for example, you are paying for IVF.
IVF can take a toll on our body – physically, mentally and emotionally. It is heart breaking when you get the news a cycle has failed. And while there is no guarantee you will get pregnant with the first cycle after preparing your body with acupuncture and Chinese medicine, you know you have been taking great care of your body.
Struggling to conceive or struggling with recurrent miscarriages it is very difficult. Gentleness on yourself and having hope is paramount to your wellbeing. Reach out for support with loved ones, friends or a fertility counsellor. You do not need to go through it alone. It is ok to be devasted, it is ok to be cry. Fertility issues effect 1 in 6 couples in Australia. You are not alone.
