Introduction to Ayurvedic Acupuncture for Fertility
As someone who has faced fertility challenges, I understand how frustrating and emotionally draining it can be, exhausting your mind, body and even your relationships. Ayurvedic Acupuncture played a critical role in enabling me to conceive. This ancient system of healing combines the age old medicinal wisdom of Ayurveda’s marma points with integral parts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), offering a truly unique holistic approach to fertility by addressing; root causes, underlying imbalances, reducing stress, and promoting overall well-being. In this article, I’ll share my experience with Ayurvedic Acupuncture for fertility, how it supported my journey and how it can help you on yours.
How Ayurvedic Acupuncture Helped Me with Fertility
Ayurvedic acupuncture played a significant role in my fertility journey, targeting root cause issues causing my infertility challenges. Here are some ways that acupuncture helped me:
- Balancing Hormones: Ayurvedic acupuncture helped regulate my hormones, playing a crucial role in my menstrual cycle, ovulation, and overall reproductive health.
- Reducing Stress: Stress can seriously negatively impact fertility. Ayurvedic acupuncture has a deeply meditative and relaxing effect, reducing my stress levels and promoting prana (energy) flow throughout my journey
- Improving Blood Flow: Ayurvedic acupuncture enhanced blood flow to my reproductive organs, supporting their overall function and health.
Ayurvedic Acupuncture Points for Fertility
During my ayurvedic acupuncture sessions, the Ayurvedic practitioner focused on specific Marma points and acupoints known to support fertility. Some of the points that were targeted during my treatments include:
- CV4 (Guanyuan): This is an acupoint point (TCM) that nourishes the reproductive system and regulates the menstrual cycle.
- Bhaga: This is an ayurvedic marma point used to regulate male and female reproductive system and enhance circulation to pelvic organs.
- SP6: Often used to treat hormonal imbalances, can support fertility by addressing underlying hormonal issues, pacifying dampness and tonifying and harmonising spleen, stomach, liver and kidneys.
- LV3 (Taichong): This point helps regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce stress, both of which are essential for fertility.
The Role of Lifestyle Changes in Improving Fertility
I learned that acupuncture alone is not a magic solution for fertility. It’s essential to adopt a comprehensive approach, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management techniques, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Marmapuncture complemented these changes by targeting underlying imbalances and promoting overall health and well-being.
How Ayurvedic Acupuncture Treatment can improve your experience with Fertility
As someone who has faced fertility challenges, I understand how frustrating and emotionally draining it can be, exhausting your mind, body and even your relationships. Ayurvedic Acupuncture played a critical role in enabling me to conceive. This ancient system of healing combines the age old medicinal wisdom of Ayurveda’s marma points with integral parts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), offering a truly unique holistic approach to fertility by addressing; root causes, underlying imbalances, reducing stress, and promoting overall well-being.
There are so many paths to parenthood, each of them unique and presenting different challenges. I have had the privilege of helping many women on their individual fertility journeys that have gone on to have beautiful healthy babies. Be it naturally, or through IVF and embryological treatments, Ayurvedic Acupuncture can help you on whatever journey you find yourself on. I have even helped women on their donor & surrogacy journeys.
Having experienced my own challenges in fertility, helping women to conceive holds a very special place in my heart. Let me tell you how Ayurvedic Acupuncture can help you.
Ayurvedic Acupuncture & Natural Conception
Here are a few ways in which Ayurvedic Acupuncture can help with conceiving a baby naturally:
Promoting blood flow: Acupuncture stimulates blood circulation, which helps to improve the function of the reproductive organs. By increasing blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, acupuncture can enhance the chances of successful conception.
Regulating hormones: Acupuncture helps to regulate the doshas and hormonal balance in the body. Hormonal imbalances can interfere with ovulation and the menstrual cycle, leading to disorders including PCO/S, endometriosis, menorrhagia, thyroid disease, and primary ovarian insufficiency. These hormonal imbalances make it more difficult to conceive. By promoting hormonal balance and regulating the doshas with ayurvedic acupuncture, fertility can be improved.
Reducing stress: Infertility can often be associated with high levels of stress, which can negatively impact reproductive health. Acupuncture is known to promote relaxation and reduce stress by influencing the release of certain neurotransmitters and hormones.
Improving ovarian function: Acupuncture enhances ovarian function by increasing the production and quality of eggs. This helps to improve ovarian blood flow, hormone levels, and overall ovarian health, increasing the chances of successful conception.
Supporting overall health: Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to health, aiming to balance the body’s energy flow or “prana” or “qi.” By addressing any underlying health issues and promoting overall well-being, acupuncture creates a more favourable environment for conception.
Ayurvedic Acupuncture & IVF
Acupuncture is a highly effective therapy for preparing your body for IVF treatment, and for ongoing support for successful embryo transfer.
Preparation phase: A few months prior to starting IVF, acupuncture treatments are required to prepare your body for the process. Depending on your unique constitution and imbalance, we may focus on any number of underlying factors including optimizing specific reproductive function, increasing the flow of energy to your organs for promotion of overall health and reducing stress. Treatment plans are completed tailored to your individual needs and may involve regular acupuncture sessions leading up to the IVF cycle.
Stimulation phase: During the ovarian stimulation phase of IVF, medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Acupuncture is performed during this stage to support the response to ovarian stimulation. The treatment may focus on improving blood flow to the ovaries, promoting follicular development, and enhancing hormone regulation.
Egg retrieval: Acupuncture is administered before and after the egg retrieval procedure. Prior to the procedure, acupuncture helps to relax the patient and reduce anxiety and tonify and nourish the spleen – an essential organ for optimum reproductive functioning. Post-retrieval acupuncture supports recovery, minimises discomfort, and optimizes the chances of successful implantation.
Embryo transfer: Acupuncture is performed before and after the embryo transfer procedure. Pre-transfer acupuncture promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and targets critical organs that support the reproductive system, creating a more favourable environment for implantation. Post-transfer acupuncture targets uterine receptivity and supports the implantation process.
Post-transfer support: Following the embryo transfer, acupuncture sessions are advised to continue to support the early stages of pregnancy. Treatments during this period may focus on reducing stress, promoting healthy blood flow to the uterus, morning sickness, fatigue/lethargy and overall support for the developing pregnancy.
It’s important to note that the specific acupuncture protocols and the number of sessions can vary depending on the individual’s needs. The timing and frequency of acupuncture sessions may also depend on the specific IVF protocol being followed. My experience in supporting IVF ensures your treatment plan is tailored to your unique circumstances and coordinated with the IVF process.
Ayurvedic Acupuncture & 1st – 3rd Trimester Care
Acupuncture is a highly effective complementary therapy during pregnancy to potentially reduce the risk of miscarriage and optimize overall pregnancy health for you and your baby:
Hormonal balance: Acupuncture influences hormonal regulation in the body. Hormonal imbalances can sometimes contribute to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage. By promoting hormonal balance, acupuncture can help create a more favorable environment for a healthy pregnancy.
Stress reduction: High levels of stress can seriously impact pregnancy outcomes. Acupuncture is known to promote relaxation and reduce stress by influencing the release of certain neurotransmitters and hormones. By reducing stress levels, acupuncture supports a healthy pregnancy and reduces the risk of miscarriage.
Uterine blood flow: Acupuncture improves blood circulation to the uterus. Adequate blood flow is crucial for a healthy pregnancy as it provides oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus. By enhancing uterine blood flow, acupuncture optimizes pregnancy health and reduces the risk of complications.
Immune system support: Acupuncture modulates the immune system. In some cases, immune system abnormalities can contribute to pregnancy complications, such as recurrent miscarriage. By supporting immune system function, acupuncture helps to reduce the risk of miscarriage and promote a healthy pregnancy.
Pelvic relaxation: Acupuncture relaxes the pelvic muscles and reduces tension in the reproductive organs. This relaxation effect creates a more conducive environment for implantation and support a healthy pregnancy.
Induction & labour: Acupuncture
Ayurvedic Acupuncture: Induction/Labour
Acupuncture can be used as an effective complementary therapy to support the induction of labour and help with the progression of labour. Here are a few ways in which acupuncture might potentially benefit induction and labour:
Cervical ripening: Acupuncture promotes cervical ripening, which is the softening and thinning of the cervix necessary for the onset of labour. I will use specific acupuncture and marma points to stimulate blood flow to the cervix and encourage the release of hormones that facilitate cervical ripening.
Labor initiation: Acupuncture helps to stimulate contractions and initiate labor in individuals who are close to their due date. Certain acupuncture and marma points have uterotonic effect, meaning they can help stimulate the muscles of the uterus and promote regular contractions.
Pain management: Acupuncture is renowned for its pain-relieving effects. During labor, acupuncture helps to manage pain and discomfort by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving substances. Acupuncture can be used in conjunction with other pain management strategies, such as meditation or relaxation techniques.
Relaxation and stress reduction: Acupuncture therapy promotes a calming and relaxing experience. During labor, this can be particularly beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety, which can help labor progress more smoothly. Acupuncture also has her power to influence the release of neurotransmitters and hormones that promote relaxation and a sense of well-being.
Malposition correction: Acupuncture can also assist in correcting fetal malpositions, such as posterior positioning. Specific acupuncture and marma points are stimulated to help encourage optimal fetal positioning, which can facilitate a smoother and more efficient labor.
Ayurvedic Acupuncture & Postnatal Care
Acupuncture is also effective as a complementary therapy for postnatal care to support the physical and emotional well-being of individuals after giving birth.
Here are a few ways in which acupuncture might potentially help with postnatal care:
Hormonal balance: Acupuncture influences hormonal regulation in the body. After childbirth, hormonal changes occur as the body adjusts to the postpartum period. This can create a variety of symptoms in the mind & body, including post natal depression. Acupuncture helps to restore hormonal balance, which supports the body’s recovery process and emotional well-being.
Pain management: Acupuncture helps alleviate pain and discomfort associated with postpartum recovery. It can be particularly beneficial for reducing pain in the perineal area after vaginal delivery or easing discomfort in the back, neck, and shoulders from breastfeeding and carrying the baby. Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving substances.
Boosting energy and vitality: The postpartum period can be physically and emotionally draining. Acupuncture can boost energy levels and improve overall vitality, which can be beneficial for coping with the demands of caring for a newborn.
Emotional support: Acupuncture therapy is renowned for its calming and relaxing experience and helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of postpartum depression. Acupuncture stimulates the release of neurotransmitters and hormones that promote relaxation and emotional well-being.
Supporting lactation: Acupuncture supports lactation and addresses a variety of breastfeeding difficulties. Points are stimulated to encourage milk production and improve milk flow. Additionally, acupuncture can also target issues of mastitis or engorgement.
Restoring pelvic floor function: Acupuncture assists in the recovery of pelvic floor muscles after childbirth. It can help with toning and strengthening the pelvic floor, which is essential for pelvic stability, bladder control, and overall pelvic health.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that acupuncture should be used as a complementary therapy alongside regular prenatal care. It is not intended to replace medical interventions or treatments recommended by healthcare professionals.
In conclusion, Ayurvedic Acupuncture offered me a holistic approach to fertility by addressing underlying imbalances, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being. It is now my mission in life to be able to provide the same treatment for other women who are struggling to get pregnant. Along with a healthy lifestyle and positive habits, acupuncture was an essential addition to my fertility journey and I am now the proud mother of a beautiful little girl. Acupuncture helped me enormously on my fertility journey and I have since quit my previous job and retrained with the sole intention of sharing my story and helping other women realise their dreams of conceiving a child naturally.