What Acupuncture Does during IVF Treatments:

• Helps open the cervix at appropriate times to minimize procedure discomfort
• Prevents uterus from contracting after procedure
• Increases hormones such as progesterone by balancing certain systems in the body
• Reduces stress levels and aids in emotional wellness
• Aids in the production of healthy follicles and uterine lining
• Reduces side effects of medications such as headaches and sleeplessness
• Helps to prevent miscarriage by continuing to heal root problems in the body systems

When Acupuncture is done during IVF Treatments:

Treatments can begin any time in the IVF cycle, but is recommended several months in advance. Treatments are given once a week until egg retrieval. At this time, a treatment  is also done within 24 hours before retrieval, within 24 hours before transfer and within 24 hours after transfer.

Treatments for Men during IVF

It is also beneficial for the partners to receive treatment for maximum success, especially if the conception challenges are related to sperm quality or count. Treatments are decided based on each individual case, but also circulate around procedures. Herbal medicine is usually prescribed for cases involving male concerns to increase sperm count and improve quality as well as adjust PH levels.

Crystal with Carol and Baby Price minutes after birth

Carol and Juan had taken my Hypnobirthing® classes and inspired me with their love toward each other and toward their children at home. It had been many years since their other children were born and they knew that natural birth was the right choice for them. It is rare that I have seen dedicated parents with the passion that Carol and Juan have about family and about birth. I was so excited when it just happen to be that Carol went in to labor on a day I was there. I went in and out of her room throughout the day as she labored with grace, putting to use all of the techniques we learned in class. She didn’t complain or make much of a sound as the day passed. At around 4 pm one of the midwives asked if I could do acupuncture on Carol, because her body was slowing down labor at 5 cm and the baby had turned to an Occiput Posterior Position – an unfavorable position for birthing. I walked in to ask Carol if she would mind acupuncture and she smiled at me and said “I would love acupuncture”, as she struggled through what were many intense “Back Labor” Contractions. I quickly positioned her on her side and inserted the needles that I was certain would turn the baby and open the pelvis. I left the needles in for only about 15 minutes and went to the kitchen and within moments I could hear Carol moaning in a familiar way. I went into the room and Juan told me that Carol had felt a very large movement from the baby and was now feeling an intense amount of pressure. I immediately removed the needles and the midwife checked Carol’s cervix. With a very surprised look exclaimed she was 10 cm and was ready to push her baby out. Carol was feeling a lot of discomfort now from the speed of her labor and I could now see the excitement, but slight nervousness in her eyes. What happened next was the reason I am so in love with childbirth. Through the discomfort and intensity Carol found an amazing place of love and determination. I’ll never forget the mother in her that kept apologizing for “losing control” Carol never once lost control. Every word I said to her she heard and listened and worked with her body. I held her on one side and as her husband on her left, talking in that same gentle way to her the whole time and baby Price gracefully entered the world at 4:59 pm. A surprised Carol- having gone from 5cm to 10cm in an intense and emotional hour that I was blessed to be a part of. I find special connections with all the women I help birth, but for some reason this one sticks with me and I feel a huge glow and a huge heart when I think of it.

Born Feb 9 2012

Women facing fertility challenges are often told that certain vitamins and dietary adjustments can restore hormonal functioning, reduce FSH levels, and ultimately help them get pregnant. Yet many women try to cut out processed meats, refined sugars, and dairy products for a few weeks or supplement their diets with large doses of vitamins and don’t notice a bit of difference. It is well documented that body fat content has an effect on our fertility (too high or too low a body fat content accounts for 12 percent of infertility cases in the United States); lesser known is how much of a role nutrition plays in our reproductive health.

The Chinese tradition recognizes food as the main source of energy. The Spleen converts food into usable energy (including Qi, Blood, and Essence). Each food has different energetic qualities. For example, hot, spicy foods are more Yang in nature, while sweet foods are more Yin. Some foods build up the Blood; others help draw heat and dampness from the body. The different tastes

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This conversation seemed so easy for them. Is it just assumed that everyone at the table is on some prescription medication? Is it actually ok to them? It’s as if they were discussing hair color or what car they were driving! I’ve seen this phenomenon many times. People are measuring their worth by their dysfunctions now.

They don’t even know who they are without them. They are becoming their diseases. They are using their labels as excuses to be unhealthy not only in body, but in mind as well. Women come to me all the time and instead of expressing what it is they are experiencing, the first words out of their mouths are “I have Fibromyalgia” or “I’m in Menopause.” They might as well be saying “I am Fibromyalgia” or “My name is Menopause.” The diagnosis they have been given is so much a part of them, they no longer even know what they feel. No matter how hard they try to heal the disease, they cannot let go of it.

This did not happen overnight. For years, women have been commiserating on the normal changes that occur in life. We are just accustomed to the idea that periods are painful, childbirth is impossible without drugs and menopause is hot flash hell. We don’t accept a job or a man that is wrong for us, so why do we accept that we must suffer through life as if we have no choice or control?

From the perspective of an Acupuncturist, I see hundreds of thousands of people just assuming that their bodies are broken, unchangeable. Suffering through natural changes in the body is not normal. It is a sign that the body is out of balance. Something is missing from the other side of the scale.

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