Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that utilizes thin needles to restore your body’s healthy energy flow. Although it’s often used for pain management, what many don’t know is that it’s also effective for improving fertility. So if it’s taking you longer than expected to conceive, consistent sessions can improve your chances of getting pregnant. If you’re still unsure whether acupuncture is the proper treatment for your condition, perhaps learning about its benefits will help you reconsider.
What is acupuncture for fertility?
Acupuncture for fertility addresses common underlying issues that delay pregnancy or cause infertility. Aside from stimulating your nervous system, the needles are inserted along acupoints around your reproductive organs to enhance blood flow to your ovaries and balance your hormones.
Each treatment will be customized according to your medical history and health goals, so it’s important to talk to your acupuncturist for more information about your treatment plan.
It’s recommended that you start your acupuncture treatments 6-12 months before trying to conceive naturally to get the most out of its benefits. For women using acupuncture to support their in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatments, you can start your rounds 2-3 months before.
Reasons to try acupuncture to enhance fertility
1. Balances hormone levels
If hormonal imbalances, like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or hyperthyroidism, are making it challenging for you to get pregnant, consistent acupuncture treatments can help rebalance your ovulatory function.
It regulates the production of reproductive hormones in your body – such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. They are crucial for enhancing your chances of getting pregnant since estrogen and testosterone stimulate fertility and libido, while progesterone regulates your menstrual cycle.
Conversely, if your testosterone levels are in excess, as caused by PCOS, acupuncture helps balance it out to restore your ovary’s healthy function.
2. Promote ovulation
TCouples trying to conceive may already know that the ovulation period is the ideal time to get pregnant because that’s when your fertility is at its peak. This is when your luteinizing hormones trigger the release of your egg. Plus, it makes your cervical mucus more slippery, so it’s easier for sperm to make their way to your egg.
Considering it’s a vital stage for getting pregnant, consistent acupuncture treatments can increase the frequency and length of your ovulation period. It’s also effective even if you’re suffering from PCOS since it helps lower the production of hormones and insulin levels that can cause an imbalance in your reproductive system.
3. Increases blood circulation to reproductive organs
Inserting needles throughout your body stimulates your central nervous system and increases blood circulation. Since acupuncture for fertility places the needles on acupoints in your reproductive area, it concentrates the blood flow to your ovaries and uterus.
This helps your chances of conceiving since it also improves the quality of your egg and the thickness of your uterine lining, improving your chances of implanting a fetus in your uterus.
This can also help support IVF treatments since a study shows that electroacupuncture enhances egg maturation and increases the fertilization rate compared to sham treatments.
4. Tones pelvic floor muscles
Having strong pelvic floor muscles can be essential for increasing your chances of getting pregnant since they hold up your internal organs, including your uterus. Since these muscles prolapse over time, toning your pelvic muscles ensures your organs stay in the right places.
Although it’s not directly related to conceiving, toned pelvic floor muscles also eliminate incontinence, so you no longer have to go to the bathroom as often.
If you’re suffering from pelvic pain, acupuncture can eliminate it to improve your mobility and sexual function. A study also shows that acupuncture treatments also provide promising results for improving postpartum female pelvic floor dysfunction.
5. Reduces stress
Considering the frustration of delayed pregnancy or infertility can be stressful, the relaxing effects of acupuncture can help lower your stress levels so you feel refreshed and rejuvenated after your sessions. That’s because it releases serotonin from your brain – your natural feel-good hormones.
Lowering your stress when trying to conceive is important because a study shows that women with high alpha-amylase levels had lesser chances of getting pregnant during their fertile window. If the experience is triggering anxiety and depression, acupuncture can also help manage them and their symptoms by releasing endorphins from your brain.
Ready to book an acupuncture session?
If you want to try acupuncture for fertility, book your sessions at Integrative Healing Arts. They have a signature Fertility Program that incorporates the wellness powers of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and energy healing to improve fertility from pre-conception to pregnancy. They also offer herbal medicine, massage therapy, IVF, and IUI support to cater to your health goals. For questions or inquiries, visit their website for more information.
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