Women’s Health

Fertility | IVF | Pregnancy | Menopause

How does acupuncture help fertility?

The fertility journey can be lonely and isolating when you are struggling to get pregnant. It can be unsettling to be surrounded by pregnant women. It can feel as though your colleague merely sneezes and she gets pregnant, meanwhile you’re jumping through hoops, reading blogs, trying all of the possible approaches, and yet you are stuck waiting and waiting for it to happen. 

The good news is that you are not alone. I have helped many patients get through this journey to a successful pregnancy. You and I will do the detective work together, reading the signals that your body is sending about what it needs, and nurturing your body in the right way at the right time.

Fertility treatments

We will start by regulating your menstrual cycle. Your period is like a report card for your hormonal health. The period can give several clues about what parts of your health need to be nurtured. These clues can include things like the character of PMS, cramping symptoms, and the color of menstrual flow. We will also work on improving ovarian blood flow and nurturing the growth of a healthy lining to support implantation. As we do this, we will take into consideration all aspects of your health including stress, sleep, diet, and digestion. We will counsel you on using food as medicine and will often recommend dietary supplements and Chinese herbs. 

Acupuncture also supports hormonal health by moving the body from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest). Your body cannot conceive when it thinks it is running from a lion. To help move the body into a parasympathetic state, I will also teach you stress reduction techniques including meditation and visualizations that you can use at home. Together we will design a holistic individual plan that takes into consideration scheduling and budget constraints. 

Books:

• Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility

• It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF

• Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

Acupuncture to support IVF

Those on the IVF journey have already tried many approaches to getting pregnant. The decision to embark on IVF is an important one. It can sometimes feel isolating, as if you are the only one having to go through all of this. As hard and heavy as it can be, it also is a wonderful opportunity. For many of our patients, it gives them their first opportunity to be pregnant. At Nurture, we will support you on every step of the IVF journey. 

Preconception Treatment

When possible, it is best to start acupuncture prior to calling an IVF clinic. In the process of IVF it can often feel like so much of the process is out of your control, but that is not the case when it comes to egg quality. Your eggs do not have an “expiration date” and they can be influenced by diet, stress and environment. The best time to increase fertility is actually 90 days before trying to conceive. You can optimize your success by taking this time to work on diet and stress.  

How Chinese Medicine can help

At Nurture Acupuncture, we use an evidence-based methodology backed by research that has been shown to increase chances of pregnancy. Numerous studies show that acupuncture can improve blood flow to the uterus, regulate hormones, and improve the outcome of IVF.

It is also worth considering taking Chinese herbs and supplements during the 90-day preconception time. There is now evidence that certain herbs can increase mitochondrial activity and ATP production. We only use herbs during the 90-day preconception time and do not use them during retrieval or transfer.

Pre/post acupuncture for transfer day

Transfer day is a day to be celebrated. I feel very fortunate to work with patients during their embryo transfers. All of the injections, hormonal shifts, and everything else you have been doing is leading up to this big day. I know it is a highly sophisticated medical procedure, but I believe transfer day should also be sprinkled with magic. I love being there for the big day. 

Clinics

We’re available for pre/post transfer treatments at the three major IVF clinics:

1. RMIA

2. CRM

3. CCRM

The research

• Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy.

• Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture.

• Acupuncture as Adjunct Therapy for In Vitro Fertilization.

• Acupuncture and Fertility Study.

Being pregnant is an exciting time full of change and possibility. It can also be a vulnerable time as you navigate through the unfolding possibilities of the future. At Nurture, we will support you through all of the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy. Acupuncture provides a safe and effective treatment for many pregnancy-related ailments. It is especially useful during the first trimester when many women are hit by waves of fatigue, nausea and anxiety.  

Can acupuncture help labor?

There is new research indicating that acupuncture in the last trimester can lead to improved birth outcomes and experiences. To be clear, the purpose of acupuncture is not to induce labor. However, it can lead to a more effective and shorter labor. Routine acupuncture in the last trimester helps to soften and relax the cervix, and helps foster optimal baby position.  

Postpartum

Postpartum is the forgotten fourth trimester. Pregnancy is filled with appointments, ultrasounds, constant check-ups. This is not the case for postpartum, but I know from experience of my own postpartum depression how crucial it is to seek self care and treatment. I am passionate about postpartum care. Therefore, I encourage new moms to come in for regular treatment with their new babies. I also spend time during pregnancy-related visits educating patients and helping them prepare for postpartum. I am also available for postpartum home visits.  

Research

• The Use Of Acupuncture As A Routine Pre-Birth Treatment.

• Debra Betts - Acupuncture and Acupressure for Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Books

• The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother.

• The Postnatal Depletion Cure: A Complete Guide to Rebuilding Your Health and Reclaiming Your Energy for Mothers of Newborns, Toddlers, and Young Children.

• Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know.

How Chinese Medicine views menopause

Menopause is not a disease. It is a transition. It’s a time of great change, both emotional and physical. Most women view menopause as something to dread: hot flashes, insomnia, change in libido, irritability...so much irritability! Instead of dreading, it is possible to embrace what Chinese Medicine calls the Second Spring. It’s a time of growth, opportunities, new possibilities. 

According to Chinese Medicine, everything can be categorized into yin (cool, moist, quiet) or yang (hot, bright, active). Menopause symptoms are often due to overactive yang that has lost the yin anchor leading to long list of hot, dry symptoms. But that’s not all. Yang deficiency symptoms can also show up: weight gain, water retention incontinence and low libido. 

How Chinese Medicine can help:

Recently is has been shown that some symptoms of menopause are due to changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-axis (HPOA). There is new and exciting research that reveals that acupuncture can regulate HPOA-related activity. This regulation of hormones can allow for an increase in serum estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone. It is in part through the balance of these hormones that women can enjoy a sunny second spring.

Research:

• Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women in natural menopause: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

• A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a Chinese herbal medicine preparation (Jiawei Qing'e Fang) for hot flashes and quality of life in perimenopausal women.

• Electroacupuncture Modulates Reproductive Hormone Levels in Patients with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: Results from a Prospective Observational Study.

• Acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes.

• Acupuncture, as Practiced in Clinical Settings, May Significantly Improve Menopause-related Symptoms.

• Acupuncture May Improve Quality of Life in Menopausal Women: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

• Review of acupuncture treatment for perimenopausal syndrome.

• Acupuncture normalizes dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis.  

Books:

• Discover Your Menopause Type – Dr. Joseph Collins, ND

• What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause – Dr. John Lee