You may have heard about fertility acupuncture and how it benefits the body in preparing for IVF and/or assisting in natural conception. My clinic in Wolverhampton specialises in this type of treatment and I can deliver it to the finest standards.
But how exactly does fertility acupuncture work, and why is it beneficial?
An Ancient Method of Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture involves needles being placed at certain points on the body that correspond with meridians that pass through the body, and works by stimulating these different points.
These meridians or channels are associated with organs in your body. You might have heard of the Spleen, Liver, Heart, Kidney channels. There are more, but these four are especially linked to a woman’s fertility. Some start at the feet, and the heart meridian which passes through the hand.
There are also other meridians known as ‘extra-ordinary vessels’. One in particular is often utilised in fertility acupuncture: the Ren channel, which travels down the midline of the body on the front. Most of the points for fertility in this vessel (Ren channel) are concentrated on the abdomen.
if you have fertility acupuncture at my clinic in Wolverhampton, you can expect to have needles placed these locations: the lower abdomen, wrists, feet and hands, legs, and the face and ears.
How Can Fertility Aupuncture Help Me?
1. Acupuncture Supports Natural Conception
Fertility acupuncture increases blood flow to the ovaries which, in Chinese Medicine theory, enhances follicle development. This can result in a higher chance of conception. Increased blood flow to the uterus can thicken the lining of the endometrium, increasing the success of embryo implantation.
2. It Treats Specific Gynaecological Conditions
Acupuncture can treat conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS. I regularly help women who struggle with this condition at my clinic in Wolverhampton.
Endometriosis is classed as blood stagnation in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncturists like myself can resolve masses, moving the blood and reducing pain and heavy periods.
PCOS is often an accumulation of something we call ‘Damp’. It is similar to fatty or phlegm deposits that stagnate. Sometimes a deficiency of the blood can be involved. Acupuncturists can use needles to resolve damp and to nourish the blood in order to support the cycle and promote ovulation.
To further support your own healing in PCOS and endometriosis, you can buy the PCOS Healing and Endometriosis Healing meditations here.
3. Acupuncture Regulates the Cycle and Promotes Ovulation
Acupuncture rebalances the hormones and thus can work to regulate the cycle. There is a specific acupuncture point which works on the pituitary gland in the brain and affects the production of FSH and LH to support the follicular stage, helping the follicles to develop normally and produce an egg.
4. Acupuncture Helps to Diagnose (TCM) Unexplained Fertility
Women are often diagnosed in Western Medicine with unexplained fertility. In acupuncture, you never have a patient who doesn’t exhibit symptoms that fit into a pattern of disharmony.
Some of these infertility patterns are Liver Qi stagnation, Kidney deficiency of Yin or Yang or both, Liver Blood Deficiency, Spleen Qi Deficiency, Damp Stagnation, Liver Blood Stagnation and Cold Stasis in the Uterus.
Patients display more than one pattern although one of two are often pre-dominant. In this way, we always have a diagnosis for you, even if Western medicine cannot identify the source of your fertility problems. If you would like to understand which TCM infertility pattern you might have, look at this article.
In addition, in TCM you also need to work on your emotional state to support your fertility organs. I show you how to do this in the Creation Fertility Healing Programme through a series of modules and at home exercises, including affirmations, acupressure points and Qigong exercises which as free as a Creation Acupuncture patient.
5. Acupuncture Relieves Stress and Helps with Emotions
Acupuncture supports couples' emotional health, reducing the stress often involved with trying to become pregnant.
Each organ in Chinese Medicine has a corresponding emotion. For example, the Spleen relates to overthinking and anxiety, the Liver to frustration and anger.
At different stages of your cycle and the fertility process you will naturally experience a rollercoaster of of emotions. By supporting these corresponding organs, acupuncture can relieve some of this stress. You can work on this yourself at home, using the specific exercises in the Creation Fertility Healing Programme.
6. Acupuncture Supports IVF and ART
In fertility acupuncture, we have set protocols (a specific treatment plan) for different stages of the IVF (and IUI, ICSI etc) cycles. You may have heard of the protocol given to patients 24 hours before and 24 hours after embryo transfer.
Acupuncture also counter-acts the side effects of ART medications and works with the IVF clinics to support you at each stage with a corresponding treatment plan.
Acupuncture also works with your cycle in a natural ART cycle or when trying to conceive naturally. For example, in the follicular phase, we nourish Yin and Blood, at the luteal phase we tonify Yang.
If you would like to know how to support each stage of your cycle from the period, follicular phase, ovulation, luteal and pre-menstrual using acupuncture, find out more about Creation Acupuncture or book an appointment.
Comments