Taking The Shame Out Of Infertility Stigmas
Infertility Stigmas Have No Place Here!
Alice is sitting in her OB/GYN treatment room, the clock loudly ticking above her head. She’s lost count of the number of times she’s been in this situation only to learn that she isn’t pregnant.
This time, as she waits for the news, she thinks of the acupuncture treatments she has been receiving. She thinks about how her body physically feels better and her mind emotionally clear. Thanks to the guidance of her Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, she and her partner reject the infertility stigmas they have felt for so long. The doctor enters the room and relays some long-awaited good news. She’s pregnant!
At Many Lives Chinese Medicine, we’ve had countless numbers of women who share a similar story to the one above. What is so astounding about their story is the shame and self-loathing they feel from struggling with fertility.
Throughout history, people have viewed infertility as shameful and demeaning. Usually, the woman was thought to be at fault if a couple had problems trying to conceive and carries the weight of the shame. This guilt is perpetuated by societal beliefs and becomes internalized as an issue with themselves.
For many couples, infertility stigmas are still felt deeply. Infertility has only recently begun to be discussed publicly and in some rare cases, shamelessly.
The first step to normalizing fertility care is to talk about it! Several celebrities recently have opened up about their use of IVF and in some cases surrogacy to have a biological child. Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend, Kim Kardashian, Courtney Cox, Brooke Shields, Celine Dion, and Jimmy Fallon have all shared their stories of fertility treatment and their joy in having a child.
Little by little, infertility treatments are becoming normalized, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of! Traditional Chinese Medicine practices have been used as far back as 5,000 years ago to help bring new life into this world and is regarded as one of the most effective ways to help fertility.
How Ancient Treatments Work in A Modern World
TCM treatments for fertility encompasses acupuncture, herbs, qi gong, and tai chi, to address issues with hormones and fertility. Through these treatments, patients get in touch with their own natural rhythms, by relaxing and rebalancing their body. The changes in diet and lifestyle coupled with other treatments can alleviate other issues that were present along with fertility issues. Acupuncture and prescriptions of herbs are used to balance out all the systems in the body, including energy management.
The regulation and management of energy (Qi) and blood create an environment that is favorable to reproductive success. The natural approach sometimes takes a longer amount of time, but often produces favorable results.
In a 2002 study of 160 women, in the reproductive journal Fertility and Sterility, a group of German researchers found that adding acupuncture to the traditional IVF treatment protocols substantially increased pregnancy success.
One of our patients had a great experience with us and welcomed the birth of her son. She wrote, “It was such a pleasure working with you in trying to get pregnant. You always made me feel so much better about the whole process. We couldn’t be more excited about our next step and phase in our lives now. Thank you so much for your help in making me ready physically and emotionally.”
The takeaway is that infertility is nothing to be ashamed of and TCM offers a holistic way to bring balance to the body and help promote fertility. Stay tuned for our next blog where we deep dive into how acupuncture treatments help with fertility!
If you and your partner are looking for fertility help, book with us here!
