Acupuncture for Fertility Challenges
Some History
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the oldest method for fertility treatments in the world, dating back 5,000 years! The emperors who ruled China sought to produce male children as heirs. This desire for offspring motivated Chinese doctors to seek the best and most efficient methods of enabling conception.
The doctors found that fertility treatments, such as acupuncture and herbs, could be used to balance the systems in the body. By regulating energy (Qi) and blood, they were able to encourage conditions favorable for reproductive success.
Many of these traditions have continued to be practiced today, including TCM, a practice that includes treatments such as acupuncture, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and herbs for fertility. But this blog is going to focus on how acupuncture for fertility really helps.
What We See
At Many Lives Chinese Medicine, we take pride in creating a supportive environment when integrating TCM practices with our patients. Our team takes a thorough history of both general and reproductive health and asks for information about the present situation. We look at lab work, diet and lifestyle to get the big picture of how ones’ life really works.
Every patient we see has vastly different needs and lifestyle when it comes down to specific health problems. Usually, there is a common thread of disharmony when pinpointing the cause of a patients’ health complication.
A common challenge that we see is diet. Focusing on improving diet can help the body return to balance. Sometimes, this is all it takes to start a successful pregnancy! If we look further, other testing can be offered to determine is the diet is a roadblock to conception.
Lifestyle issues also present a challenge with fertility concerns. Often, we work with patients who are commuting for 1-1.5 hours every day. Time in the car coupled with a stressful job and work environment, are circumstances that are not favorable for becoming pregnant. Too much stress overwhelms the system(s) and is not good for your body.
Acupuncture is one method we use to help with stress relief, promote blood flow to the reproductive organs, and balance the endocrine system.
Acupuncture for Fertility
You may be considering acupuncture for fertility but have questions about it. Which we love!
For people looking to conceive, we recommend committing to a three-month pre-conception period for weekly acupuncture and herbs, depending on your type of cycle, along with diet and lifestyle coaching.
For natural cycles, we recommend acupuncture and herbs once a week. For assisted cycles, (IUI and IVF), we recommend one or two times a week, depending on which challenges you are experiencing.
We advise that you continue acupuncture treatments after becoming pregnant as we have found that regular acupuncture through the pregnancy helps tremendously with the challenges of “being pregnant” and with the ease of delivery.
Acupuncture pro-tip: When preparing for an acupuncture session, it is recommended that you wear loose clothing and eat before your treatment.
Please feel free to reach out to us for any questions you may have and book an appointment with us to start your fertility journey!
Beth Schiffman
Many Lives Chinese Medicine
Acupuncturist Redwood City
650-366-4299
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