Supplemental Treatments To Improve Fertility Outcomes
In addition to fertility acupuncture, there are many things you can do at home to support your journey to conception. Learn about these supplemental treatments that can help improve your outcomes of getting pregnant with regular acupuncture.
Complement Acupuncture Treatments
Moderate Exercise
Exercise can be an integral part of regulating hormones and enhancing fertility, especially in previously sedentary individuals. However, more is not necessarily better. We often recommend a cyclic approach to exercise reserving higher intensity exercise for the follicular and ovulatory portions of a woman’s* cycle. Yoga and low impact exercises are advantageous for the luteal and menstrual phase of a woman’s* cycle. Heart rate should be kept under 140 BPM once pregnancy is achieved. Men* should take care not to overheat themselves during vigorous exercise when trying to conceive.
Tinctures
Chinese Herbal Tinctures are amazing at rebalancing hormones and even stubborn conditions like ovarian cysts, fibroids, and endometriosis. They can also be helpful to enhance sperm motility, morphology and count. Most patients say they are easier to use than pills and find they get quicker results. We do not use herbs during IVF unless we have had a conversation with your provider and they agree that they may help the cycle.
Healthy Eating
Preconception nutrition has been a cornerstone of fertility treatment in TCM for thousands of years and that was before we changed our food chain through the use of pesticides and GMO’s. We recommend all couples avoid conventionally farmed fruits and veggies in order to avoid pesticides as the EARTH study by Harvard has shown that men who consumed more pesticide residue-rich fruits and vegetables had significantly lower sperm counts and fewer morphologically normal sperm. We also recommend that meats and dairy be sourced as not to have been fed GMO wheat or corn as the glyphosate (known carcinogen & hormonal disruptor) in those crops accumulates in the fat of the meat and dairy in a concentrated form and is passed to the consumer. We’ve taken the stress out of meal planning by creating Recipes for a Fertile You, designed to help you rebalance your TCM pattern. It’s free to all of our patients.
Stress Reduction
High stress can decrease chances of conceiving. But what do we do when the process of infertility in and of itself becomes your greatest stressor? Studies have shown that 40% of women experiencing infertility exhibit signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is why all of our providers are trauma informed and include a truly holistic approach to helping our patients learn how to notice triggers and self regulate the nervous system. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease cortisol (stress hormone) and prolactin (hormone that inhibits ovulation) levels in those trying to conceive. In a study by Harvard University, women accessing a supported mind-body program were over twice as likely to conceive as those who didn't. Of those that got pregnant, 76% did so naturally (without medical intervention) within 12 months despite their age, number of years of trying or their diagnosis which is why we created our Conscious Conceptions program.
