Overview
At the Natural Healing & Acupuncture Clinic we help create a healthy and supportive environment for pregnancy.
We use acupuncture, nutrition, herbal medicine and specific lifestyle recommendations in combination with modern nutritional supplementation to prepare a woman to be pregnant whether trying on their own or in concert with modern assisted reproductive technologies.
Click here to learn about our Pregnancy Preparedness Program. Additional information can be found on our facebook page.
How Does Acupuncture Support Fertility?
Effects Hormones
Acupuncture can influence many hormones including those that effect fertility. Studies have shown many of the effects of acupuncture are mediated by endorphins – naturally occurring opiates in the central nervous system that effect pain perception, neuro-transmitters and have neuro-modulatory functions.Pregnancy The endorphins influence the control of a wide variety hormones through the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis. See study. Chang R, Chung PH, Rosenwaks Z. Role of acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility. Fertil Steril. 2002 Dec;78(6):1149-53.
Reduces Stress
The stimulation of endorphins through acupuncture also helps to decrease the physiological stress response. That is why people feel relaxed after an acupuncture treatment. While one can exercise to get a “runners high” to effect endorphins specific acupuncture points have been shown through MRI research to effect specific organs and glands. See study. Lewith GT, White PJ, Pariente J. Investigating acupuncture using brain imaging techniques: the current state of play. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Sep;2(3):315-9. Epub 2005 Aug. 10.
Improves Endometrial Lining
Studies have shown acupuncture improves blood flow to the uterus which may increase the success of embryo implantation by improving the quality of the endometrium.
See study Stener-Victorin E, Waldenstrom U, Andersson SA, Wikland M. Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture. Hum Reprod. 1996 Jun;11(6):1314-7.
Denise with mother & baby
A baby!
Can Acupuncture Improve In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)?
Yes. A 2002 German study published in FertiIity and Sterility on 160 women undergoing IVF found that 42.5 percent of those who had acupuncture before and after embryo transfer became pregnant versus 26.3% in a control group, a nearly 50% improvement.
Paulus WE, Zhang M, Strehler E, El-Danasouri I, Sterzik K. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertil Steril. 2002 Apr;77(4):721-4.
Will You Do Acupuncture at My IVF Transfer?
Yes, every attempt will be made to come to your transfer. Please call our office to set this up.
How Does Chinese Acupuncture Help Intrauterine Inseminations (IUI’s)?
Chinese Medicine helps improve the success of Intrauterine Inseminations (IUI’s). We can help increase blood flow to the uterus, relax the patient, and help with implantation. As always it is most effective if the patient can be evaluated before beginning the process as each individual’s plan is unique.
What Other Methods Are Used Besides Acupuncture?
Everyone has an individualized plan that may include nutrition guidelines, herbal medicine, relaxation therapies, lifestyle recommendations and acupressure massage.
Testimonials
When Do I Start Treatment?
Every woman is different. If using acupuncture and herbs alone, it can take 3 to 6 months to normalize the menstrual cycle. If you are undergoing assisted reproductive treatments it is ideal to begin acupuncture once that decision has been made.
What is the Importance of Measuring Basal Body Temperature (BBT)?
For Chinese medicine practitioners the measurement of BBT from day one (start of period) and throughout the cycle helps to diagnose patterns of imbalance and the precise use of herbal formulas to balance the hormonal system. Download Basal Body temperature Chart.
How to Record Basal Body Temperature
Record your basal body temperature with a digital thermometer every morning when you first wake up. Do not get up or do anything else until you take it. Day one is the first day of your period.
Record changes in vaginal mucus during the month. The normal basal body temperature graph is biphasic. Record any other symptoms you might feel during the month. You can even record the days you try and conceive. Some people will also use an ovulation kit along with the basal body temperature to note the LH surge.
We Can Help with the Following Conditions that Impede Fertility:
Hormonal Imbalances
• Anovulation
• Luteal phase defect
• Amenorrhea
• Endometriosis
• Unexplained infertility
• PCOS
• Uterine fibroids and cysts
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Unexplained or undiagnosed causes
* When embarking on fertility it is important to get a thorough evaluation from an OB-Gyn. The marriage between western diagnosis and eastern medicine can make many happy babies.
Denise holding a baby
Baby Miles
Herbal Medicine for Fertility
We provide custom herbal formulas to correct the menstrual cycle, balance hormones and maximize fertility. There are usually 2-3 formulas given throughout the cycle to balance the follicular and luteal phases.
Nutritional Supplements for Fertility
The following are some of the nutritional products we recommend. It is very important to have a consultation to see if some of these products are appropriate for you.
Antioxidants
Help prevent oxidative damage to ova due to aging and environment. Examples are Co Q10, grape seed extract, and pycnogenols.
Green Drinks
Contain blue green algae, spirulina, chlorella and cereal grasses, e.g. wheat grass, and are a source of concentrated vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in a highly digestible form. Due to their high chlorophyll content they are also cleansing to the liver and blood.
Pre-Natal Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Complex
Contains additional folic acid specific for the reduction of birth defects in children and choline for brain health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial because they provide fluidity to cell membranes and improve communication between brain cells. They Improve blood flow to all tissues including the uterus and reduce clotting. Omega-3 fats, often referred to as “Healthy fats”, are generally deficient in most Americans due to the high consumption of vegetable oils relative to Omega-3’s. Two very important omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). DHA is essential to fetal brain development. Fish oil is a common example of an omega-3 fat.
Fertility CD
A guided meditation to help focus and relax the mind and body through the process of fertility treatments.
Aromatherapy
Certain essential oils can be very helpful.
Lifestyle and Support
Anyone struggling to have a child knows that the process can be emotionally draining. Women will go to great lengths to have a baby: Endless ovulation predictors, waiting and more waiting, repeated hormone shots, being poked and prodded, IVF and IUI attempts, and bed rest. Life’s plans often are put on hold, stress levels can go sky high, and relationships can suffer. Frequently women don’t want to tell many people what they are going through.
At the Natural Healing & Acupuncture clinic we help empower women on their journeys and provide a supportive and caring environment for healing to take place.
Sex, Intimacy and Fertility
At Natural Healing and Acupuncture, we have successfully helped countless couples conceive both naturally and using assisted reproductive technologies, such as IUI and IVF. We address many of the known factors that prevent conception: diet, lifestyle, stress, hormones, and energetic imbalances. But what sets us apart from the crowd of fertility experts? We focus on factors that encourage conception, the ones no one seems to talk about—like sex, intimacy and connection.
In working for more than twenty years in this field, I hear comments like this,
“I dressed up in a satin teddy but it was on a weekday and my husband knew I must have been ovulating. We usually don’t have sex during the week, we’re both too tired. But since making a baby is a priority for us, we have no choice. We have to.”
The words “ We have to” makes sex seem like an unpleasant task or a chore instead of a mutually shared connection between two people. By helping couples let go of the pressure and stress they’ve put themselves under, we help them get back to the passion and love that are truly what make babies. For more posts about Sex, Intimacy and Fertility, click here.
Tell Us Your Fertility Story!
If you would like to share your story so that others may benefit from it, please click here to send us an email. These stories may be compiled, with permission, as part of a book or posted on a website.