How We Approach Fertility With Acupuncture

We often get a lot of questions from new and prospective patients who are looking to boost their baby making skills when nothing else seems to be working. Maybe you’ve exhausted all other avenues, talked to your OB, your friends, and Google a little bit too, and you keep hearing a little buzz about how acupuncture can help with fertility. How can getting stuck with needles weekly help me get pregnant, you may ask? But when are studying to become acupuncturists (3,000 hours and usually three plus years to receive a masters degree in acupuncture), we aren’t just learning about how and where to stick needles in a body. Acupuncture is just one piece of the puzzle under the umbrella of Chinese Medicine. We look at the body system as a whole by reading over your intake form, and when checking in with you at the start of each visit. We look at your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing, your health history, and Chinese medicine “indicators” like your pulse and your tongue. Depending on what we see and how you respond to your first treatment, we may even recommend some Chinese herbs, breathing exercises, self care tips, etc (stress can play a big part in fertility too!).

Lifestyle changes and diet modifications are always part of the plan when someone comes in to see us with the goal of having a baby. These suggestions can vary depending on the underlying patterns we find, but there are a few things that we recommend to pretty much everyone:

•CATCH SOME ZZzZZzs - quality and quantity of sleep plays such an important role in our hormone production, so no more burning the midnight oil!

•HEART THE FAT - do not be afraid of healthy fats in the diet, like avocados, olive oil and coconut oil. We need these fats to create hormones and we need proper hormone balance for fertility! Low-fat diets are sooo 1990s anyway ;)

•TOSS THE PERFUMES - fragrances are known hormone disrupters, and exposure to them can cause all sorts of nasty health issues and fertility problems. Just say no to perfumes, scented candles and air fresheners, and look into natural deodorant as well. Opt for essential oils instead!