By Lauren Becker, L.Ac.
Helping clients grow their families is one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice.
When I started my career as an acupuncturist 9 years ago, I didn’t know that fertility would become my specialty. But, gradually I started seeing more and more women trying to improve their chances of pregnancy, and when we would get the positive pregnancy test during the course of our acupuncture treatments, it was just the most joyful feeling. I loved getting texts and emails with pictures of positive pregnancy tests! From there, I tried to take on as many fertility clients as I could and gain as much experience possible. My fertility practice grew from there, and I began to focus most of my continuing education and reading about fertility and women’s health.
I mostly work with women in their late twenties, thirties, and up to mid forties. Depending on the age group and individual circumstances, we are working with potentially different aspects of family planning and fertility: some may be planning for pregnancy but haven’t started yet, some have been trying for 6 months or a year with no success, others experiencing recurrent miscarriages and some who are undergoing IVF or IUI and have read about acupuncture’s successes in improving the odds for pregnancy through IVF/IUI. I also work with many women who are trying to conceive naturally and there has not been a history of any issues, they just want all the support they can get.
These are some cases I may be working with, for example: a woman in her late twenties wants to stop taking birth control so she and her partner can start trying for a baby, and she wants to make sure her cycle is regulated and hormones are balanced through this transition. A woman in her mid thirties may be undergoing her third round of IVF treatments after 2 failed IVF cycles and a miscarriage; or, a woman in her early forties may be trying to conceive naturally and we are focusing on improving the quality of her eggs, after she was told her ovarian reserve is in decline due to age.
Whatever the circumstances, acupuncture is a wonderful way to support fertility. There are many highs and lows of fertility work, and I’m there for it all. The whole journey. Acupuncture treatments support those who are just beginning to family plan and those who have a history of infertility or miscarriage. In addition to boosting fertility, treatments always offer emotional support and healing along the way.
When I work with fertility clients, our goal is to create the healthiest version of who they are and prepare the most fertile environment for the best outcomes in creating a healthy baby. Through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutritional therapy specific to the client, we can balance the hormonal system and monthly cycle, and tap into the body’s innate intelligence to heal and flourish. This is the beauty of the medicine.
Our fertility program takes an integrative and highly individualized approach. We are able to come up with a treatment plan and fertility care designed specifically for the client based on a detailed Chinese medical diagnoses, and by looking at the subtle patterns in her body coupled with her body’s own story, Western diagnosis, lab results and past hormonal or fertility history.
Like with any medicine, there is no way for any health care provider, natural or conventional, to predict when or if the client will become pregnant. However, I do typically see positive pregnancy outcomes within 3-9 months of weekly or biweekly treatment, sometimes 12 months.
How Acupuncture Can Help With Fertility
Amazingly, Chinese Medicine and acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to help couples conceive. The idea is to create optimal health vitality, and fertile potential by balancing what may be out of balance, nourishing what may be deficient.
Some of the more common fertility concerns that we have helped treat to achieve healthy pregnancy and birth of healthy babies include: PCOS, endometriosis, poor ovarian reserve, thin endometrial lining, premature ovarian failure, irregular menstrual cycles, amenorrhea, hormonal imbalance, stress, anxiety and depression, advanced maternal age, unexplained infertility, and recurrent miscarriage.
Acupuncture improves blood flow and microcirculation to the reproductive organs, especially the ovaries and uterus. Improving circulation nourishes follicular growth and also helps build a healthier endometrial lining. Increased ovarian blood flow increases our fertility. A thick uterine lining is the ideal environment for implantation and pregnancy.
Most famously, acupuncture is known for reducing stress. This is so important for fertility clients. Acupuncture releases endorphins, helping the whole body relax, from your muscles to your mind. The nervous system slows down, causing the blood vessels to dilate and improving blood flow. When we are more relaxed, we feel more in control, which is especially important for those undergoing fertility treatments like IVF.
Additionally, acupuncture helps improve egg quality, balances the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis which helps to balance hormones, lowers inflammation, lowers stress levels, and helps increase healthier ovulation and cervical mucus. That’s a lot of good stuff!
And for those undergoing IVF, studies have shown that three months minimum of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine prior to starting IVF or IUI cycles increase the outcomes of live births- they were 73% higher in the group who underwent three months of regular acupuncture treatments before the egg retrieval and transfer!
Success Stories
I’m proud to say that I have many success stories! Here are two I can share, with patient permissions:
“I started seeing Lauren for fertility treatments after my first pregnancy resulted in miscarriage. After being told by one OB-GYN that my miscarriage was likely due to my Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, and by another (in the same practice) that my thyroid had nothing to do with it, I wanted another opinion. Lauren worked with me on the underlying autoimmune disease, and on preparing my body for another pregnancy. Once I felt ready to try again, I got pregnant in my first month of trying. I continued to see Lauren throughout my pregnancy where she helped with the usual aches and pains that come with carrying a baby, and I enjoyed the added benefit of stress relief that comes with every session…’“ - M.E.
“I found Lauren through an essential oils candle-making class at Candlefish. At the time my husband and I were about to start trying to get pregnant so I took note of some of the essential oils to avoid when pregnant that she mentioned during class. Fast forward 7 months and we still weren’t pregnant. Even though my cycles had always been screwed up, my doctor said she wouldn’t address it until we had tried for a year at which point they’d give me medicine. I contacted Lauren on a long shot to see if there were oils that could help me get pregnant and set up an appointment for a consultation. What did I have to lose? In the first 15 minutes of that appointment, Lauren was more thorough in her questions about my cycle than any GYN I had ever seen. She drew up a plan to treat me for blood stagnation (suspecting endometriosis, which my doctor later confirmed) and asked me to give her 4 months to get my body operating the way it should. She sent me away with oils, instructions, recommendations for food, and information on acupuncture should I decide to try it. At my appointment the following month I opted to add the acupuncture as I was already starting to see changes in my cycle. The following month my cycle was as if it was straight out of a textbook - something I’d never experienced in the 20 years since getting my first period. I got pregnant that month and became a Chinese medicine proponent for life! Lauren helped me through my entire pregnancy, with the added bonus of getting to share in the excitement our first pregnancies together (she was five weeks behind me). I gave birth without any complications and have a beautiful 2 year old girl I tell people to this day would not be here if it wasn’t for Lauren (with a little help from my husband). - J.P.
Are you ready to give acupuncture a try? Give us a call (843) 790-4295 to learn more about how acupuncture can help you with fertility concerns. We’re here for you!
