Does Fertility Acupuncture work? This is probably the number one question I'm asked when it comes to Fertility Acupuncture. Couples that are wanting to conceive don't want to beat around the bush, they tend to want to be sure they're making a beeline for their ultimate result, getting Pregnant. In this post, we'll dive deeper into answering this question about Fertility Acupuncture with some clinical studies to back up our answers.
Couples Trying To Conceive (TTC) don't want to waste time or money in their search for something that will get them closer to becoming pregnant. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the pressure is more on the female than the male, but that's just my opinion. For some reason Women may feel more responsible, or part of the problem when it comes to infertility, whether they have the blood tests and scans to back that up or not.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]For many women, bearing children is part of our biological need, our makeup... and so when we can't have it right away, we can feel stressed, confused, hard done by or even at the point of desperation.[/perfectpullquote]
Why can't we all conceive so easily? Doesn't everybody conceive easily? The answer unfortunately is no. While others partners can just look at them and they're pregnant, some of us have real challenges conceiving and this begins to reveal some underlying health issues that have been lurking below the surface until now.
It doesn't begin with Pregnancy, it begins with something else...
To answer the question "Does Fertility Acupuncture work?", we do need to take a couple of steps back BEFORE a positive pregnancy test, because that is where it all begins. There are things that impact on your fertility. Some are straight forward and structural, others are not so straight forward (hormone imbalances, unexplained infertility), but there are things that can help smooth out those bumps in the road and get you to a better position to conceive successfully.
Results vs Changes, and why changes can be MORE important.
I firmly believe Acupuncture is one of these things that can help couples, because when I apply the treatment strategies to clients, they see changes. Changes to the client are significant results to me. Here's why.
- A "result" to clients could be finding out their Pregnant.
- As I take a client through treatment, I get them to observe their body as they go through their menstrual cycle - they get
- I ask lots of questions and gather lots of detailed information.
- As we have successive treatments, they may notice that there are "changes" happening in that menstrual cycle. To me these are great "results" because I know that seeing these changes means they are regulating their cycle, optimising their hormones which means they are getting closer to conceiving (THEIR RESULT).
Changes are confirmation that your body is becoming MORE FERTILE.The bottom line is you're focusing on your end game (Successfully Pregnant), I'm focusing on all the little steps to get you there and hope to draw our attention to them too, because they're JUST AS IMPORTANT.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Pregnancy is the Result, Fertility is the Journey before that.[/perfectpullquote]
Does Fertility Acupuncture work?: 7 Researched-backed ways that says it does
- Acupuncture promotes ovulation - Research shows in cases of Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) , Acupuncture promotes good ovulation and in a timely manner [Link to paper] [Link to a second paper]
- Acupuncture directs blood flow to the uterus - this is useful in the phase prior to implantation, also for women who have scant or light periods. [Link to paper] [Link to another paper]
- Acupuncture directs blood flow to the ovaries - good circulation to and around the ovaries is needed for optimal ovarian function. Effective Ovulation requires blood flow to the ovaries.
- Acupuncture promotes implantation, ongoing pregnancy rates and the number of live births [Link to paper]
- Acupuncture assists management of Endometriosis - if you're worried about Endometriosis being a barrier to you conceiving, there is quality research on Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs managing painful periods. The underlying treatment principle when managing pain during Endometriosis is hormone optimisation or hormone balancing. [Link to paper]
- Acupuncture assist IVF - via the mechanism of blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, helping implantation rates.
- Acupuncture can assist women with Low AMH - Although the number of your eggs can't be changed(mother nature gives you that when you're in utero yourself), your AMH level can slightly increase as this paper describes using Electroacupuncture [Link to Paper]
A Recipe for Great Fertility
These are all the good ingredients to preparing the body for Pregnancy. There's nothing "magic" here about Acupuncture, the trial results speak for themselves. Fertility Acupuncture doesn't mean there's one magic acupoint or in one treatment you'll be pregnant. Fertility Acupuncture means optimising hormones and regulating cycles. It's not sexy, but its practical and systematic in its approach to getting it right and getting you closer to your goal of falling Pregnant.
I'd love to continue this discussion with you if you're still having questions about how Acupuncture works and can help you. I'd love to receive an email from you at info@springfertility.com.au or jump over to the Spring Fertility Facebook page and message me there. I'd love to hear your story, so please share!
