Conceiving naturally

Planning for a baby can be an exciting time, but as the months and cycles pass, if pregnancy isn’t happening as soon as one had hoped, stress and anxiety can quickly creep in.  Sometimes a few healthy lifestyle changes is all that is required, for others it might be regulating the menstrual cycles, identifying the fertile time, or helping with sperm quantity and quality.  As an acupuncturist I also believe that one of the most important things is to help couples manage the inevitable stress that very often accompanies the fertility journey.

Chinese Medicine offers a very holistic approach and as well as acupuncture; dietary, exercise, and lifestyle advice will be given.  Any blocks to achieving optimum health, whether it is emotional or physical, are addressed.  The aim is to gently guide and assist women and couples towards optimising their own health and to help them achieve their dream of becoming parents.

How can Acupuncture help?

For those of you who like to read about the science, here are some of the ways that acupuncture can help:

Regulate fertility hormones

Stress can disrupt the function of the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis (HPOA), which governs all of the fertility hormones and which can impact on fertility.

Acupuncture has also been shown to counteract the effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome

In cases of female infertility due to problems with ovulation, acupuncture can help by balancing the hormones involved during the menstrual cycle.  In cases when there is a failure to ovulate (anovulation), such as in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), acupuncture has been shown to be effective.

Increases blood flow to the reproductive organs

This includes the ovaries and the uterus.  Acupuncture’s ability to increase blood flow to the uterine environment can help follicles develop, improve the environment in which the egg matures, increase endometrial thickness, and help with implantation.

Releases beta-endorphin in the brain

Acupuncture promotes the release of beta-endorphin which in turn releases the fertility hormones and reduces sympathetic activity, the fight or flight response. It is therefore useful for reducing stress and improves quality of sleep.