Fertility & Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture can be very helpful for couples who are having trouble conceiving. I use acupuncture, diet and lifestyle therapy to help optimize your fertility and reduce stress during your journey toward becoming a parent. Failure to conceive, even after months or years of trying, does not automatically mean complete infertility. If, and when, a woman conceives depends on a range of factors, both physical and psychological. A woman can experience irregular cycles, pre-menstrual pain, amenorrhea, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), endometriosis, fibroids, or hormonal irregularities. These conditions can impede your ability to conceive. Chinese Medicine and acupuncture can restore balance to the system.
Acupuncture and Assisted Reproductive Therapies
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 9 million American women are currently using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services to help them cope with fertility issues. Of available ART services, one of the most widely used is In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF. If you are using assisted reproductive techniques such as Clomid, IUI or IVF, Acupuncture and lifestyle modifications can be of great benefit. Acupuncture can help with:
- Increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs, improving uterine lining and egg quality
- Regulating menstruation and ovulation
- Helping with implantation by reducing uterine spasms
- Relieving stress and decreasing the body’s stress response
- Reducing inflammation that may impede fertility
- Reguating the immune system that can influence fertility
- Improving male factor infertility such as sperm count, motility and quality
In vitro fertilization is used in cases of fallopian tube blockage, low sperm count, abnormal cervical factors, immunologic factors affecting either partner, infertility after tubal surgery, infertility after treatment for endometriosis, and for unexplained infertility. This procedure was first successfully used in the United States in 1981. A landmark German study in 2002 found that using acupuncture with IVF achieved a 42% clinical pregnancy rate compared to only 26% in the control group not receiving acupuncture. This research has been repeated over and over and the results are consistent. When acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used in conjunction with IVF, clinical experience suggests the pregnancy rate can be raised.
Pregnancy
Acupuncture as it is practiced today can be of great help to a pregnant woman. This is especially true since most pharmaceuticals are contraindicated in pregnancy. The Chinese have been safely and effectively treating pregnant women for centuries. Many women find relief from morning sickness and fatigue in the initial stages of pregnancy. In the second and third trimester, acupuncture can be used to treat acid reflux, high blood pressure, edema, constipation, hemorrhoids, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica and back pain, stress and anxiety. It is also very useful to prevent post-partum depression.
Acupuncture treatment is recommended once a month to ensure the health of the mom and the developing fetus. Tradition has it that there is an acupuncture point, also known as the “beautiful baby point” on the low leg which should be needled at the end of the third and sixth month to ensure a happy, health and of course, beautiful baby.
A fascinating use of acupuncture treatment in pregnancy is it’s role in turning a fetus in breech presentation. The optimum time for effectiveness is weeks 32-34. Past the 36th week there is usually not enough room for the fetus to turn around.
In preparation for the delivery of the baby, the mother should be seen weekly in the last month of the pregnancy. Acupuncture can help ensure that the mother does not go past her due date and hopefully avoid being induced in the hospital.