Fertility Acupuncture is designed to help the body's natural processes and cycles, including that of the menstrual cycle. It's all about regulating the cycle and optimising hormones. In this blog post we look at the question, "can Fertility Acupuncture delay your period?"
The intention of Acupuncture is to work in harmony with your body's natural processes, so to ask can Fertility Acupuncture delay your period is a really interesting question. Especially within the context of potentially falling pregnant. I'm interpreting the question a few different ways so lets take a look at 4 scenarios:
Can Fertility Acupuncture delay your period, meaning...
- Slow your cycle down
- Hold off your period in the hope you're Pregnant
- For convenience's sake? (you're going on a holiday, attending an event etc)
- Like the Oral Contraceptive Pill
1. Can Fertility Acupuncture slow your cycle down?
Yes but it's all about what is appropriate.
Each client presents differently and I ask myself, "what are we trying to achieve with these treatments?". If it's to lengthen a menstrual cycle, then yes we can do that.
When I would do this: So if you have short menstrual cycles, I would interpret this as an imbalance. Correcting it using Acupuncture would aim to lengthen the period cycle.
"Slow down the cycle" and "Lengthen the cycle" to me is the same thing and highly appropriate if you're having frequent periods less than 24 days apart.
My aim as a Practitioner is to use acupuncture to help the woman's ovaries have more time to fully develop the follicles and egg if the first half of the cycle is short. OR promote progesterone longer in the second half of the cycle for good implantation, if the second half is the shorter half.
When I would NOT do this: You don't want to lengthen a menstrual cycle of someone with a normal 28 day cycle, and especially someone with PCOS who may have a 35 day or longer cycle, because this would be counter-productive.
2. Can Fertility Acupuncture hold off your period in the hope you're Pregnant
Short Answer: No. Here's why.
The nuts and bolts of conception happen around ovulation. Whether you will have another period is determined mid-cycle, not at the end of your cycle. So this one is really at the whim of your body and if the timing was right with intercourse and the egg and sperm came together in a miraculous dove-tailing of biology & nature.
Holding your period off, doesn't make you more likely to be Pregnant. It is all decided at that crucial ovulation stage, which is why I get women to focus so much on this phase of their cycle instead. Preparing the body for good ovulation should be the number one thing on your list.
Holding off your period in the hope of lengthening your cycle probably doesn't work either. This is because the length of your cycle relies on a healthy first phase (Follicular phase), healthy ovulation AND a healthy second phase (Luteal Phase). Its about getting your hormones humming along nicely in all areas, like a finely tuned engine.
Unfortunately, I can't use acupuncture to drag out a period start date, no matter how much experience I have. It comes back to that idea of working WITH your bodies, natural processes and cycles. I couldn't hold up Mother Nature if I tried!
3. Can Fertility Acupuncture delay my period for convenience's sake?
I totally get women, when they ask me this. [perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Sometimes getting your period can be a drag. You're tired, bloated and simply not feeling 100%. If you've got to perform at your best at work, an event, or completely relax on a holiday, getting your period can just complicate things.[/perfectpullquote]
Unfortunately, Acupuncture can't make you skip a period, or delay a period in this case, which is why I discuss it again in the next point about comparing Acupuncture to The Pill.
There are acupoints you could try, but they're not proven and it comes back to Acupuncture not being able to fight your body's natural processes. And I wouldn't want to anyway. To delay on purpose, in reality would be going against what is natural, your body's natural expression. More acceptance of ourselves during our period would be more revolutionary!
4. Can Fertility Acupuncture delay my period like the Oral Contraceptive Pill?
As we discussed in point 3, having a period can sometimes be inconvenient. I'm all about women making their own informed choices and there's no judgement here..... but the Pill is Western Medicine's answer to controlling your period.
There are various reasons why The Pill is prescribed to anyone from a teenage girl with heavy, painful periods right through to a sexually active 20 something who just doesn't want to get Pregnant. And when prescribed appropriately, that's fine. But I find a lot of women who have had many years on The Pill are the ones having challenges conceiving. Either because their period doesn't come back right away, if at all, or its not regular. But let me talk about that in another blog post!
The convenience of The Pill is that some can make you skip a period. This is in opposition to what Acupuncture is about. [perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Acupuncture philosophy is about you not only having a period, but having a regular one and a period that indicates you are fertile.[/perfectpullquote]
Imagine that! A period that isn't a hinderance or uncomfortable.... PMS? Yes, there are acupuncture treatment strategies. Heavy, painful periods? Got that covered too. Bloating, moodiness and tiredness, yep there's treatment strategies for that too.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Acceptance of ourselves during our periods should be the norm. Going easier on ourselves, resting, self-care and taking those few days to nurture ourselves is actually an inconvenience to the busy society we live in.[/perfectpullquote]
The thing I love about Traditional Chinese Medicine is the simplicity of treatment strategies. Somewhere in an ancient Chinese classical Medical Text it says :
If there is heat in the body, cool it,
if there is cold, warm it.
If there is excess, reduce it
and if there is deficiency, strengthen it.
In the case of slowing a cycle down, if you see a Registered Acupuncturist, like me, they would treat to correct your hormone imbalances. If you have a short cycle, lengthening your cycle is absolutely appropriate.
If you're not sure if you have a short cycle or not, I would recommend you begin to chart your Temperatures asap. Here's a link to my resources page where you'll find my FREE Temperature chart download. You can email me a copy f your first chart and I'd be happy to give you some feedback. You can email me at info@springfertility.com.au
