Acupuncture & Fertility
I recently received a question via the chat box on my website and wasn't able to respond. (I'm still working on my tech skills!) I hope this post makes its way to the person who originally asked the question, but a lot of folks have similar questions, so I hope it helps give people a better understanding.
The question was how can acupuncture help with fertility and increase the chances of conception?
In the simplest of terms, acupuncture helps your body correct its imbalances so that it can conceive and/or carry a pregnancy.
While there are usually commonalities among those who are struggling either to get pregnant or stay pregnant, acupuncture is highly personalized, so as with any other concern, treatments will vary from person to person.
Being able to have children is often thought of as a normal, natural, biological process, so when it's not working for us, it's understandable that we feel frustrated, disappointed, angry, or maybe even ashamed, which, of course, doesn't help us, as prolonged emotions affect our health just as viruses, bacteria, or injury do. Sometimes, we don't even realize the things we've been feeling, because they've been there so long, so a tremendous benefit of acupuncture is that it can help with the emotional component at the same time we're addressing the physiological side.
An important thing to keep in mind is that acupuncture for fertility is not a quick fix. It will require weekly treatments for three to six months. It almost always includes dietary changes, herbal treatment, more rest, and less stress.
Often, what we've come to believe is "healthy" in America, like vegan, vegetarian, juicing, or low-fat diets, are extremely detrimental to overall health, but especially to fertility. Along with diet, Chinese herbs help the acupuncture treatments by offering the body better building blocks. (I talk a little more about this in my article Honest Advice Isn't the Same as Judgement).
Who's heard "I'll sleep when I'm dead"? It's the worst! Sleep is NOT a luxury. It is imperative to good health, as is proper stress management. We glorify busy and our to-do lists, and we pat ourselves on the back when we take on more, more, more. But whether or not we think we enjoy this rat race lifestyle, it does have an effect on our organ system. We'll talk about how stress affects our the Chinese medicine organ system and the importance of getting it in check.
Especially in cases of frequent miscarriage, we will ask that you avoid trying to get pregnant for a couple of months, since each miscarriage further weakens your body, not to mention the emotional toll it takes. Our goal is to strengthen your body and correct the underlying imbalances, so that once we've made progress, your body is ready to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy.
I hope this helps folks understand how acupuncture can help with fertility. I love sharing this knowledge and educating people so that they can use the Medicine in their own lives. Please feel free to email me at mg@steelmagnoliawellness.com with any questions you may have.
