Acupuncture and Infertility
You’re probably wondering what acupuncture and infertility have to do with each other but acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in the East. Acupuncture is used to treat a stack of different conditions, including infertility. You probably only started hearing about acupuncture about a decade ago, so it’s no wonder it seems a bit weird and ‘out there’. I fully understand. The thought that sticking needles that aren’t connected to syringes into my body will somehow bring physical, mental and emotional healing does seem a bit odd. To link acupuncture and infertility treatment seems even crazier. We’re apparently in good company because the scientists haven’t quite figured it out yet either.
The whole idea is that if the energy flows in your body are blocked or unbalanced your health will be affected. So apparently sticking super thin needles into your body at points along these energy pathways, also known as meridians, helps to rebalance the energy flows and stimulates your body to heal itself. Go figure!
So even though we don’t know how it works, some studies have shown that it does work. But then again, other studies have given results that don’t say anything one way or the other. Either way, most doctors will tell you that it’s mostly harmless in any case and that the relaxation gained from an acupuncture session can only help your chances of getting and staying pregnant. It gets the blood flowing to where it’s needed, relaxes you and stabilizes hormones amongst other things.
My favorite part about the whole thing is that when a professional and experienced acupuncturist treats you there are minimal side effects, which is a lot more than we can say for most of our drugs. Another big benefit of acupuncture is that it can be used to try to get pregnant before trying other, more expensive procedures and can apparently increase In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) success rates. It isn’t a complete miracle cure, because acupuncture really only works when something isn’t working properly, rather than when something is actually damaged.
I understand that you’re really desperate to have kids, but you must also understand that acupuncture isn’t a quick-fix solution. It can take about three months for guys – that’s about how long it takes sperm to mature – and from three to six months or more for women as it might take three full cycles to get things going, and it’s generally a good idea to keep it up until three months into the pregnancy when your risk of miscarriage is high.
You’ll want to make sure you get a qualified acupuncturist with experience in dealing with the links between acupuncture and infertility, because if they stick those needles in the wrong place they might end up undoing all your hard work. Maybe ask some infertility clinics in your area if they have any acupuncturists they recommend. Like I said earlier, it can’t do any harm and can help you to relax, which can only help your chances of getting pregnant, so why not try it out?
