Preparing to conceive
Whether you are preparing to conceive, actively trying to conceive or planning to embark on IVF, Chinese medicine has a lot to offer you. Below are listed a number of different treatment programmes which have been designed to address the needs of couples facing the challenges of modern life while trying to maximise health and fertility.
Preparing to conceive – a healthy diet
There is much information and misinformation about what constitutes a good preconception diet. From a Chinese medicine point of view the middle road is usually the healthiest where moderation of some foods is recommended and a good balance of healthy and fresh fruits and vegetables with adequate protein is encouraged. A TCM practitioner takes into account the different constitution and situation of each individual before dietary advice is given.
A properly functioning digestive system is an important focus of treatment, so that nutrients are absorbed and utilised well. If there are any digestive issues such as bloating, bowel disorders, reflux, cravings or low appetite these can be treated effectively with acupuncture.
Schedule; Acupuncture once a week, until symptoms improve.
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Preparing to conceive – weight loss
If you are overweight, little bit of weight loss can go a long way to improving fertility. Losing 5 kg is a manageable target for most and you can start now. Just moving your metabolism a little bit in the direction of burning off fat stores, can stimulate ovarian activity, improve egg and sperm quality and increase fertility.
Acupuncture is used to reduce your appetite and improve your metabolism. An analysis of your constitution and the reasons for your weight gain by an experienced acupuncturist will lead to an individualised treatment plan designed to maximise weight loss. Gentle electro acupuncture applied to points on the body promotes lipolytic activity (destruction of fat cells) to reduce fat accumulation.
Using acupuncture points on the ear stimulates the auricular branch of the vagal nerve and raises serotonin levels, both of which increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach, thus suppressing appetite.
Schedule; Acupuncture 1 – 3 times per week for 1 – 3 months before IVF, or until goal weight is achieved or until you conceive.
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Preparing to conceive – egg quality
The environment that eggs occupy during their lengthy maturation process in the ovary has an impact on what shape they are in before meeting a sperm (with or without an IVF embryologist in attendance). They need a good blood supply, the right nutrients, the right hormone signals and the capacity to supply enough energy to the embryo.
This has important implications, particularly for eggs that are coming from slightly older ovaries (and possibly for eggs coming from women with PCOS or endometriosis). While no treatment can turn back the clock, or change the DNA, acupuncture and herbs can be used to rejuvenate some oocyte characteristics by improving delivery of nutrition to the developing egg and enhancing its capacity to make energy thus increasing its chance of making a viable embryo.
Schedule; Acupuncture once a week, Chinese herbs twice a day for 3 – 6 months
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Preparing to conceive – sperm quality
Many clinical trials in several countries have demonstrated a possible benefit of acupuncture treatment to some sperm parameters (references). A meta analysis of some of these trials indicated that motility and count may be improved by acupuncture but larger trials are needed.
Mild electro-acupuncture is applied to the abdomen and the lower legs. This has been shown to increase blood flow through the small blood vessels of the testes, improving delivery of nutrients to developing sperm and promoting optimal sperm vitality. Thus acupuncture can be used as part of a pre-conception programme even where there is a normal semen analysis.
Schedule: Acupuncture 1 – 2 times per week for 5 – 10 weeks (10 – 15 treatments in total).
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Preparing to conceive – weight gain
Being under weight affects ovary function, as much as being over weight does (although in a different way). Acupuncture can help to regulate the sympathetic nervous system and improve appetite. In conjunction with behavioural and dietary modifications this can help to put weight on.
Preparing to conceive – regular menstrual cycle
One of the things mentioned a lot in a Chinese medicine gynecology textbook, including the Fertility chapter, is the term “Regulating the Cycle”. What this refers to is the ideal of a 28 day menstrual cycle (give or take a few days), and a regular ovulation occurring around the middle of that cycle. This is one of the first aims of much TCM treatment of gynecological disorders. A regular menstrual cycle is an indication of good ovary function and good hormone balance.
Schedule: acupuncture once a week for 3 cycles.
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Preparing to conceive – immune factors
Implantation of the embryo in the uterus is a vital and pivotal event which determines the success of an ongoing pregnancy after conception, or after transfer of an embryo in an IVF cycle.
Recently the crucial role that the immune system plays in the process of implantation and the development of the placenta has been elucidated. A positive finding of immune factors like anti-cardiolipin antibodies, anti- thyroid antibodies or anti-nuclear antibodies can indicate that there may be subtle imbalances in the immune environment of the uterus which are not conducive to establishing a healthy pregnancy. It is thought that acupuncture may modulate immune function possibly through its ability to increase endorphins and other neurotransmitters.
Schedule; acupuncture once a week, 3 times a week at time of ovulation, or twice on the day of embryo transfer. Read More →
Preparing to conceive – PCOS
Women with PCOS, particularly those with irregular or infrequent periods, have their own particular challenges when it comes to conceiving. We don’t yet fully understand the causes of PCOS however we do know that certain acupuncture protocols can reduce some of the factors that operate to prevent polycystic ovaries working properly. For example acupuncture reduces testosterone and LH (luteinising hormone) levels which promotes the conditions for more frequent ovulation and better quality eggs. (references)
If you have PCOS and are trying to conceive naturally or planning to do IVF, you may benefit from doing a course of acupuncture over 3 to 4 months to improve ovary function and egg quality. For those PCOS patients who do IVF, certain acupuncture protocols during the stimulation phase and after embryo transfer will reduce the risk of hyperstimulation.
Low intensity gentle electro-acupuncture is applied to points on the abdomen and the legs.
Schedule: Acupuncture 1 – 4 times a week until regular ovulation is re-established, until you conceive or for 3 months to prepare for IVF.
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Preparing to conceive – endometriosis
Endometriosis reduces fertility by damaging ovary function (AMH is reduced) and negatively impacting the immune milieu (inflammatory cytokines are raised) and affecting the lining of the uterus and its implantation sites. We use acupuncture to manage the symptoms of endometriosis like pain and menstrual disturbance. Chinese herbs are sometimes used in China to improve response to IVF drugs and pregnancy rates in endometriosis patients.
Schedule: Acupuncture is best performed at specific times of the menstrual cycle. These will be decided in conjunction with your practitioner and will depend on your symptom picture and whether or not you are actively trying to conceive. Acupuncture once a week or fortnight. Chinese herbs daily (when not taking IVF drugs)
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Preparing to conceive – fibroids, polyps and cysts
Obstructions to implantation, such as polyps or fibroids, are often removed surgically. In the case that surgery is not desired, and fibroids are not large, then chinese herbal medicine can sometimes be used to shrink them. Ovarian cysts are also amenable to treatment with chinese herbs, and any pain or cycle irregularity they cause can be helped with acupuncture.
Schedule: Acupuncture once per week for 2 – 3 cycles, herbs daily.
Preparing to conceive – stress management
Stress, for most of us living and working in modern cities, is part of life. However it can get a lot worse when you are not conceiving as easily as you thought you would. And in a cruel vicious cycle, stress can have a negative impact on fertility. Women who are more stressed have reduced fertility, and during IVF procedures have lower embryo implantation rates. Stress has also been shown to affect semen quality. This is why we do specific acupuncture treatments at particular times of the IVF cycle.
Acupuncture is well known as an excellent stress reduction therapy. Its ability to raise endorphin levels and reduce adrenalin and cortisol levels allows the body and mind to relax immediately and learn a different way of being. Our patients frequently comment on how relaxed they feel after their treatments and that they don’t know how they would cope without that support.
Schedule; acupuncture once or twice a week or as required.
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Preparing to conceive – sleep quality
The connection between sleep and fertility is not always self evident, although getting to bed early with your partner may for some couples have obvious benefits.
You may not realise that the quality and quantity of your sleep influences sex hormones, sperm production, ovulation, immune factors, weight gain, mood, stress levels and longevity as well as the more obvious stamina.
Getting enough good quality sleep is an essential part of preparing for conception for all these reasons. Acupuncture has a proven track record (reviewed in several medical journals) of assisting to establish sound sleep patterns.
Schedule: acupuncture 1-2 treatments per week.
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Preparing to conceive together
It takes two and this stressful journey is traveled more easily when the two of you do it together, supporting each other. Whether it is unexplained infertility, male factor or ovarian issues, focusing on improving general health and the health of the gametes on both sides often provides the solution when nothing else is working. Many of the couples we have treated have voiced an appreciation of the emotional and psychological benefits they experience when they come for treatments together. Saturday tends to be our couples day in the clinic.
Schedule: 1 treatment per week (see couples fee package below).