You and your partner have decided that you want to start a family. You have been trying and trying, for months or maybe years, but still no pregnancy.
There are natural routes you can try, such as acupuncture. Acupuncture boosts fertility by:
– improving blood flow to the reproductive organs
– helping to build a healthy endometrium for implantation
– promoting ovulation
– regulating menstrual and ovulatory cycles
– balancing and regulating hormones
– reducing stress
– improving egg quality and production
– increasing chance of successful IVF treatment
– improving sperm quality, motility, and count (1)
Acupuncture also promotes your overall physical & mental health and well being, which is crucial for fertility and a healthy pregnancy.
STRESS – THE 6 LETTER BEAST
Although short-term stress can be a good thing, our bodies are not built for long-term, chronic stress. Short-term stress can actually save our lives, temporarily increase immunity, increase endurance, make us more focused, and more resilient. Think of getting chased by a tiger, the example everyone uses when they explain benefits of short-term stress. Here, stress will help us escape and live to see another day.
The problem comes in with long-term, chronic, relentless, daily stress. Chronic stress can negatively impact our health in several ways, one being poor fertility. When we experience chronic stress, our bodies’ resources are focused on survival, not reproduction. When stress is stealing our fertility, we need to work at reducing our stress. Acupuncture is an excellent form of stress management. Acupuncture can help us manage stress, as well as directly improve fertility (1).
Incorporating additional stress management techniques into our daily life, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, dancing, singing, being mindful, journaling, laughing, practicing gratitude, or being with close friends is also very helpful in managing stress.
CYCLE REGULATION
It is much more challenging to become pregnant when menstrual and ovulation cycles are irregular. Acupuncture helps regulate our cycle so we ovulate on the same day each month, and know when to plan sexy time with our partner.
During the beginning half of our cycle (the ovulatory phase), acupuncture regulates and stimulates egg production. During the second half (luteal phase) of our cycle, acupuncture provides hormonal balance. Therefore, if an egg does become fertilized, we are able to hold the pregnancy.
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION
Sometimes, no matter how much self-care, healthy food we eat, or stress management and hormonal balancing we do, we are still unable to conceive. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is an option. Unfortunately, IVF is expensive, and success rates aren’t great. But acupuncture can improve outcomes!
Research has shown over and over again that using acupuncture during IVF increases live birth outcomes, compared to using IVF alone. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
How does acupuncture do this?
- Acupuncture improves the response to medications used during IVF. The medications increase growth and maturation of many follicles into eggs. The more eggs they are able to collect, the more they can fertilize, resulting in a higher number of embryos. More embryos means more chance of pregnancy.
- Acupuncture increases the quality and thickness of the uterine lining, which increases the chance of implantation of the embryo.
- IVF can be stressful, and stress is a hindrance to fertility. Acupuncture is excellent an excellent form of stress management.
How much acupuncture and when?
Six to twelve acupuncture sessions during the 2 to 3 months before, and one treatment the day of the embryo transfer will give better results than just one acupuncture treatment the day of the transfer (10). The reason for this, is that acupuncture increases blood flow to the uterus during the 3 months prior, which develops a healthy little nest for the embryo. Also, acupuncture reduces stress, which cant be stressed enough.
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have you used acupuncture to boost fertility, or increase IVF success?
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Lindsay Rusk Health is a dedicated resource for people who are interested in health and improving their health. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links. These links add no extra cost to you. I recommend products and brands that I personally use for myself or my family. For more information, see my Terms + Disclosure.
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