{ Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Fertility }

There are many people trying to conceive who for various reasons (or frustratingly, no obvious reason) are unable to achieve this dearly held wish. Provided there are no clear organic pathologies – such as blocked fallopian tubes, huge fibroids, etc – we tend to see two main types of imbalance as contributing to infertility:

• Deficiency – this can be a lack of blood circulating to the reproductive organs, or a lack of Qi (energy) to power the transformative processes.

• Stagnation – this occurs when there is a lack of “free flow” in an area of the body. A stagnation of Blood can lead to clotting, inflammation, pain and swelling, and may contribute to Deficiency if it impedes Blood from reaching and nourishing areas such as the ovaries or the uterine lining. Stagnation of Qi may lead to hormone cycles being out of balance, and thus the phases of fertility not reaching their full expression and potential.

While Acupuncturists/TCM practitioners are not allowed by regulations to claim specialisation in any one area, fertility is something that we all deal with regularly, and some choose to put extra focus on. Fertility is actually the oldest sub-category of Chinese Medicine, as many hundreds of years ago, an Emperor whose wife was having trouble conceiving ordered his court doctors to focus on this area, and they devised the first University courses to train doctors in gynaecology and fertility.

Happily, the long history of our medicine in this area means we are able to offer hope through time-tested methodologies. Acupuncture tends to work well to resolve stagnation-type issues, due its regulatory nature, while Chinese Herbal Medicine helps to build up Blood and Qi where it is lacking. The two also complement each other: acupuncture can help the body absorb and potentiate the medicine, while herbs can emphasise the homeostatic nature of the needles.

We will also often treat two associated conditions which strongly contribute to the above pathologies:

• Stress – if a person constantly feels under attack, anxious or depressed, the body won’t feel like it can create a receptive environment for new life to begin. Dialling down stress levels, regardless of their origin, is key to improving the chances of conception

• Digestive disorders – long term problems with restrictive diets, food allergies, malabsorption and inflammation can all contribute to a less-than-ideal quality of Qi and Blood, the vital building blocks for reproduction.

It is worth noting that treating infertility is a long-term project, and at least 3 menstrual cycles are usually required to ascertain whether the desired changes are taking place. While there are no guarantees, making use of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can be a “secret weapon” in your quest. Importantly, we can and do work alongside conventional fertility treatments, such as IVF, and often are called upon to give treatments either side of an egg implantation, as this aids the procedure’s chances of success.