Acupuncture can be an invaluable tool to help promote healthy conception and a healthy early pregnancy. Often, couples encounter difficulties or delays when trying to conceive, which can stem from a variety of medical issues, such as endometriosis, PCOS, or fibroids. Struggling with these medical challenges can be stressful to hopeful parents. As well, going through the ups and downs of monthly anticipations and disappointments, and trying to juggle a schedule of egg retrievals can take its toll on a hopeful mother who is trying her best to be as healthy as she can be. Turning to acupuncture on its own to help you conceive or as a way to complement other fertility treatments is a decision that can often lead to success. Acupuncture to treat infertility for both parents promote the possibilities for successful conception and pregnancy.
HOW ACUPUNCTURE HELPS FERTILITY
Acupuncture improves circulatory function and hormonal balance. This is helpful is boosting the strength of your ovaries and helping the uterus to grow a thick lining for implantation.
Many women have hormone imbalances that make it more difficult to conceive. This includes high FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone), or inappropriate levels of other hormones like estrogen, testosterone. Balancing your hormones is a key element for reproductive success, and acupuncture can help stimulate or relax the necessary parts of your body to produce a healthy hormonal ratio.
In addition to helping with natural fertility, acupuncture is extremely beneficial for women using ART (assisted reproductive technology) and IVF for their fertility. There are several components to what acupuncture can do to improve IVF and ART outcomes. Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, helping to grow healthy follicles (eggs) as well as the uterine lining. It can also help relax the uterus to prevent cramping or other instabilities that might disrupt any implantation. In addition to increasing blood flow, acupuncture immediately before and after a transfer can relax both the mind and the body, creating a healthy and balanced environment in which the transfer to take place. An added bonus is the management of side effects from fertility medications. Use of acupuncture during IUI or IVF cycles can reduce bloating, anxiety, digestive disturbances and mood problems.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Your Acupuncturist a will do a thorough health screen to help understand your current and previous health history and lifestyle and dietary habits. This will help develop a treatment plan tailored to you.
