One of my specialist practices is acupuncture treatments aimed at enhancing womens’ fertility. Through my experience of training with world-renowned clinician, researcher and lecturer in Women’s Health, Dr Trevor Wing, and my 30 years of working as a midwife for the NHS, it is an area that I am particularly passionate about. I love working closely with women through this process - offering advice and tailoring treatments to their needs.
It is my belief that in order to achieve a healthy ongoing pregnancy that a combination of both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can be very effective. Good health is always with the aim to achieve balance in mind, body and emotion and to take into account all aspects of a person’s health and lifestyle. There is considerable research to prove the supportive role that acupuncture can play in fertility and many reasons why it comes highly recommended when couples are trying to conceive. I thought I would share some of these insights for clients who are considering treatment.
There is a huge amount of research that has been done on this topic which considers some of the main effects to be:
Balancing hormones - It’s well known that stress may cause hormonal imbalance by disrupting the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. This ultimately impacts the couples ability to conceive. Acupuncture helps regulate fertility hormones which helps balance hormones.
Increasing blood and energy flow - Acupuncture has been proven to increase the blood and energy flow which optimises the environment in which the follicles develop (Stener-Victorian 2016 & Lim 2010).
Improving receptivity of the uterus - It also increases blood flow to the uterus to improve the thickness and receptivity of the lining which will ultimately increases the chances of successful implantation. (Stener-Victorian 1996 & Huang 2008).
Mitigating effects of Polycystic ovaries - Acupuncture may also mitigate the effects of Polycystic ovaries (PCO) and Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is a common barrier to couples who are trying to conceive. It is effective by reducing the number of cysts, stimulating ovulations, and regulating cycles. (Stener-Victorian 2000,2008,2009 & Zang 2009).
Support IVF treatment - A systematic review from 2018 suggests that acupuncture increases the live birth rates of couples undergoing IVF treatment. In 2016, the Homerton study proved that acupuncture can increase pregnancy rates by double in those undergoing IVF.
If you are interested in trying out acupuncture or would like to find out more please drop me a message in the contact box. I would be happy to chat about which treatment would be most suitable for you.