Acupuncture and Fertility

Hi J.,
It can take up to a year for a normal, healthy woman to get pregnant, but if your cycles are irregular, I recommend discussing it with your doctor sooner. Besides the ultrasound they did, they may want to check some blood tests to make sure your thyroid is OK and that your other hormones are OK. If all that is OK, your doctor may talk with you about medications (drugs :) ) that might help you ovulate or may suggest other tests for you or your husband, depending on the medical situation.
There are some acupuncturists who are great at helping women get more regular cylces and starting to ovulate. One of the ones I recommend is Erin Pass in Boulder ###-###-####). Others that I have heard good things about are Molly Greacen, Nancy Rao, and Ty Miller.
Good luck!
C. Swartz, MD
OB-Gyn

Hey J. I have a friend from church that does acupressure. She has helped people with infertility. I have had some treatments myself and they really helped my neck. I broke it in a car accident 5 yrs ago. Anyway, her name is Kathy and her phone number is ###-###-####. You could even call her just to get some feedback even if you didn't do any treatments. Have a great day! Aj

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! Try the acupuncture!!! I have heard so many good experiences from others about acupunture & chiropractors for infertility.
In fact personally know of a few gals who were not able to conceive although they were healthy. One went to the chiropractor & 2 weeks later was pregnant. And the other went to a chinese acupuncturist & conceived shortly after a few appts. I personally was having issues not getting pregnant but feeling as if my uterus was going to fall out (I had had 3 children by this time) and I went to an awesome chinese doctor). When the only other option a "western medicine" doc gave me was to STOP having children.

Naturopaths also are awesome. Since both treat THE WHOLE BODY you will get results fast. Since all of your "workings" are working it may be hormones. A natural hormone balancing cream such as Arbonne's Prolief (my fav.)helps to regulate hormones & can help in regulating your cycles. It can just be your system is a bit tweaked, and needs a little help.

I know all will work itself out soon. Take care & let us know when you are pregnant ;0)!!!

1660 Gilpin St # 300
Denver, CO 80218
###-###-####
Dr. Meeks. He got me through my pregnancy and does infertility too. Been practicing for longer that I've been alive :)

I tried for almost 2 years to get pregnant and someone suggested acupuncture and I tried it and within 2 months of treatment I was pregnant! Going thru the same process again still trying to get pregnant with #2! Just started doing acupuncture again in January! I would give it a try! There is also a nautural fertility supplement out there call fertility blend. I just started taking it so hopefully it will help as well. But my Acupuncturist said to only take it the 2nd half of the cycle. Good luck to you.

I experienced a similar problem with fertility, however I did know the reason I have severe endometriosis and only had a 3% chance of getting pregnant. We tried the old fashion way for over a year before we started looking into other things. There were a few things we were going to try. I went and got some Biomeridian testing done and they give you certain herbs/vitamins to balance you out. I tried that for 2 months and decided to quit but got pregnant the next month. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if it really worked, but our chances were so slim that I really think that it did help. There are some testing places in your area (I looked on yahoo). Our next try was going to be some foot massage that makes you more fertile and then the acupuncture. I know that doesn't really answer your question but just another thing to look into. Keep the faith, I know its hard when babies seem to come so easily to most everyone else.

I have had friends for whom acupuncture helped them conceive. It certainly can't hurt. I also highly recommend the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler; through tracking I was able to tell if I was ovulating, if my cervical fluid was doing what it needed to be doing at the right time, and if my luetal phase was long enough. At least it gives you some solid information to go to the doctors with before tests, etc.

Best wishes,
J.

I noticed that your note focuses on you and your fertility issues, perhaps because you know them well already. Has your husband also had his fertility checked? Sometimes there can be problems on both sides, and one's problems gets missed because once the other person's problems are found, it is assumed that addressing those things will be enough.

Also, if your hubby is a coffee drinker, see if you can talk him into giving it up, or at least cutting down. Caffeine intake does seem to make a difference. We both have fertility issues. Both times we've managed to conceive, it was when my hubby was on a diet that limited caffeine.

It took us five years to conceive the first time, so I understand how frustrating it can be waiting. Don't get discouraged - it can take awhile. Try to relax about it (I know, not easy) and try not to get too wrapped up in the medical/mechanical/strategic side of things - it can wreck intimacy when sex is too goal-oriented.

Good luck!

Hi J.,
I used accupuncture for fertility and got preganant on the second try. Before trying accupuncture my cycles were completely out of whack. I'm 33 years old and now have a beautiful 16 month old boy.

Please please do try it!! We tried for 4 years without and the first cycle of acupuncture and we also used clomid, we got pregnant...we had been using clomid for about 1 year prior. so in total we used the acupuncture, clomid and IUI. Please ask if you have any questions, we've been thru it all!

L.

I am a birth doula in the Denver area and LOVE referring my clients to acupuncture! It works so well for so many things. I have many friends who used it to help them get pregnant with great success! Here are the acupuncturists I refer to:
www.botanicawellness.com (They specialize in fertility)
www.MeetingPointAcupuncture.com (They offer a sliding scale)
www.highlandsacupuncture.com (I worked a birth with her)
Good luck! If you want a doula when you get pregnant, I'd be happy to help!

I know of at least 3 people that had success conceiving with acupuncture treatments. There is a woman in Fort Collins that really specializes in this area; Rachel Blunk at the Aspen Wellness Center. She's awesome, I saw her for sleep issues but she also stuck me for baby stuff since she knew we were trying. 1+ months later, done deal!

Hi J.!
I have an amazing 2 1/2 year old boy after 5 years of miscarriages and infertility treatments. he was conceived through IVF, but we used acupuncture in conjunction with it. I can't say whether or not the acupuncture helped me get pregnant, but I believe in my heart it did, and that it helped me stay pregnant. I had it through my whole pregnancy. For me, I had so much stress built up inside my body and mind from dealing with infertility--and the acupuncture, if nothing else, simply forced me to relax for an hour every week. And my acupuncturist, who was recommended by the fertility clinic, was the BEST! Her name is Terrell Kennet ###-###-#### She's in Denver near Monaco and Evans.

The books other women have recommended, like Taking Charge of Your Fertility, are great. And someone recommended Prolief balancing cream by Arbonne. My sister sells Arbonne and they are great natural products. The cream has plant based progesterone, a hormone which can help you "hold on" to pregnancy in the early weeks. If you try the cream, however, be certain to only use it AFTER you ovulate, or it may end up actually helping to prevent pregnancy (just like in birth control pills, the progesterone tricks your body into thinking its pregnant)(don't know if there's enough in the cream to do this, but just in case)

Overall my advice is this: relax, have fun, get to know your body and work with it.

best of luck to you and God bless!

I know one friend who swears that acupuncture is why she finally got pregnant - with twins! Of course she was told that she'd never get pregnant without help. Tell that to her younger son, conceived only 6 months after the twins were born!

I was in my early 40's and had trouble becoming pregnant so I tried acupuncture. My cycles were also very irregular. I went once a week for about a year. In that time my cycles became regular (for the first time in my life!) and it helped with my seasonal allergies too (bonus!!) We did 4 rounds of IUI with no success and then decided to give up having our own baby and decided to adopt. While away on vacation we conceived our baby who is now 2 1/2 years old!! I firmly believe that it was the acupuncture that helped because by regulating my cycle it was easier to predict ovulation and it also meant I was ovulating more often so more chances of becoming pregnant as well.

Good luck!
K.

The herb vitex (also called chasteberry) can help regulate the cycles as well. It should be available in any store that carries tinctures.

Hello. First of all, ignore all of the people that tell you it may just take awhile, which is true, but when you're trying to get pregnant, you don't want to heat that, it drove me nuts! OK, on to the question, definitely look into the accupuncture, you sound like me. I had always had irregular cycles but didn't start trying to get pregnant until I was 31, and didn't worry about it right away, because I knew it could "take a while". Well, fast forward 4 years, still not pregnant I decided to try Eastern Medicine. I got pregnant after 3 treatments! Which I think was too soon, because I did miscarry, but we tried again in a few months and the very first "normal" 28 day cycle I had, i got pregnant and had my son and 10 months later I was pregant again with my daughter. I would recommend the book. The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. She is a Ob-Gyn with a Master's in Oriental Medicine, so she takes Eastern and Western Medicine into account. My accupuncturist moved to Seattle so I can't recommend, but she had just finished school when i went to see her. So she had very little experience and still was able to get me pregant, so any of the recommedations on dr.s would probably work. Good Luck!

Hi J.,
I have heard of success with fertility with accupuncture. I tried it in combination with IVF..without luck. But, others I know have had great success. The following was on our local news...it is worth a shot!
http://cbs4denver.com/health/fertility.blend.supplement.2...
Good Luck!

Sometimes it just takes awhile. It took my 8 months to get pregnant with my first and I think it happened when I tried to stop worrying about it (easier said than done I know). Then my second was a surprise. Hope thats helps good luck!

Hello,
First of all, I had the same problem - we tried for over 2 years, nothing. I had EVERY test done, he had a few done too, and they said everything was FINE... but it wasn't happening.
So, here is what I learned (we had a baby boy 5 months ago).
I decided to do Asian remedies as well - I have a friend who is Chinese and she took me to a reputable herbalist, speaking their native language. To prepare for this trip, I bought a book at Whole Foods by this woman Susan Weed. It has to do with fertility and womanly herbal remedy things. I can't remember the title of it, but I did find her on a google search here: http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Fertility_Herbs.htm
I researched thoroughly everything she said in the book, and chose to use this Asian syrup that tastes like licorice. Then I asked the Chinese herablist what she recommended, and she gave me a bottle of chinese pills. I took the pills and the syrup. We still didn't concieve, but I can tell you this:
We went to a fertility clinic that was GREAT and they told me NOT to take any Asian herbs, period. Well, I had already been taking them, and when we went in for the ultrasound of my ovaries, they told me I had the ovaries of a 20 year old, with many follicles - they like to see 10 between the 2 overaies and I had 18.
So my point is this - you CAN take the WRONG things... and you don't want to do that. I can't say for certain that the pills and the syrup (and I was drinking some water infusions that Susan Weed recommended too) helped, but I can say for certain that they DIDN'T HURT.

Regarding acupuncture, based on my research what it WILL help you with is in regulating your cycle. Whether or not THAT helps you concieve is the likely thing. But in terms of helping you concieve magically, I don't think so. BUT regulating your cycle is important to concieve, so I can see the benefit in that way. For me, I was regular, so I didn't try the accupuncture.

I understand how frustrating it can become when it seems that everyone around you has less trouble conceiving... I had very good advice from a friend early in the process which was DON'T WAIT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR!! And I would add to that DON'T HESITATE TO CHANGE DOCTORS!! We went to another fertility clinic early on, and they did absolutely nothing for us - at all - they gave us a drug, and that did nothing, and they put no thought into a follow up or changing things or anything. The fertility drugs can have side effects that make it LESS likely to get pregnant depending on what your problem is for example. Like if you take Clomid, and you aren't conceiving because you are too dry... then clomid won't help, it will make it worse.
We ended up at a great clinic, they did an IUI and we were pregnant that first try.

Good luck!! Try everything, and when it doesn't seem right, follow your gut. Research everything you do, and be smart about your decisions.

I never tried it as we never had the money, but two infertility doctors told me it's a good option to look at. I've heard good things. I hope it works for you!

Hi J.,
My situation is a bit different because I did get pregnant with In vitro with both of my kids. But, I had a failed cycle between the two and fertility drs. now do recommend using acupunture in conjunction with what they are doing. So my story is I was tired, run down, overweight etc and tired of fertility stuff after the failed cycle. I had one more chance (a few frozen embryos). I went thru acupunture, followed the diet they recommended, dropped 10 pounds (bonus), felt great and other great changes in my body. I felt the acupuncture helped me create a nice place for the transfer to occur. The next cycle was a success and I have a beautiful dtr. I strongly recommend it. (Prior to this I was not sure if I believed it could do anything...I am a healthcare professional in the western medicine world) Until you have further testing drs. cant tell everything from just a physical but, you are only 30 and you have time to try these options. Also there is a great book out there called "Taking control of your fertility". It taught me a lot more about my cycle (I thought I knew it all) and helped me know we were truly trying at the right time. good luck. I would be happy to help with any further questions about fertility drs etc but, hopefully you won't need any other info.

I have had a bunch of friends struggle for many years in getting pregnant. One of them went to Dr Zeng who has an office in Draper, and I believe in Park City, and they tried acupuncture along with some other things and she got pregnant in 2 months. I referred my other friend to her who was also having problems, but also had other fertility problems between both her and her husband and it did not work for them. (They also tried everything under the sun to get pregnant too and were unsuccessful... so far. :) )
Anyway, if you are interested, Dr Zeng's number is ###-###-####. He also has you drink some herbal tea every day and he show's your husband how and where to give you a foot massage that helps (i can't remember how exactly, but you can't complain about a foot massage every day!) :)
If you do decide to hook up with Dr Zeng, please let me know how it goes so that I can have an idea of how good he may or may not be. :)
good luck!!

The first thing that I would try is one of the over the counter ovulation predictors. You can still be having your period but not ovulating. And it is really hard to get pregnant without this step. Second, ask your Dr. to have your husband tested. We just had my husband tested...turned out the reason we weren't getting pregnant was him. It is a pretty simple test for him. Definitely worth finding out.

Acupuncture can work. Also some herbs that can balance your hormones and therefore your cycle. Vitex, also known as chaste tree berry, is very good for balancing all female hormones. Other herbs that may work include dong quai, red rasberry, and black and blue cohosh. I have a natural doc that would be able to specifically tell you what you need to do to balance hormones and therefore make it easier to conceive. Let me know if you need his name---and Good luck!
J.

I had a horrible time getting pregnant with my first two kids, and a crazy second pregnancy. I vowed to get my health in order and went to an accupuncturist when my 2nd was about 15 months old. Without even trying I got pregnant with my third, and three years later, with an IUD in, got pregnant with a fourth. I truly believe the accupuncture, and food plan they had me follow, made all the difference! Good luck!

While I didn't have accupuncture for fertility reasons, I did for treatment of neuropathy from cancer treatment and it was excellent! My friend's daughter also had it for releif from allergies and had great success, so I'm a believer!!!