Fertility Acupuncture

How Acupuncture for Fertility works

Acupuncture for fertility supports the cycle by encouraging regular Ovulation leading to a regular menstrual cycle of 28 – 35 days with a healthy bleed. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the menstrual cycle is a monthly diagnostic tool which indicates your overall hormonal health and fertility.

Acupuncture supports the balance of hormones by calming the internal balance of the body by regulating Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis & Hypothalamic Pituitary Ovarian (HPO) Axis which in turn improves the cycle and associated symptoms. By using specific Acupuncture points to encourage blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis is used in consultation to restore harmonious balance to underlying imbalances which may be causing hormonal symptoms.

At The Dao Health, as Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, Chinese Dietary Therapy, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Moxa Therapy is also considered to support a patient’s fertility in addition to Acupuncture. Practicing in an integrative setting, supporting patients and their fertility is approached from an eastern and western perspective with pathology requests and results also considered if needed.

The desire to become a mother (and father)…can manifest in many ways. It might bubble up out of the blue and surprise you, or it might pulse enduringly, like an ache that is never not felt. Whatever form it takes, the moment you feel this call towards childbearing, a doorway opens, leading you to a path that will take you from one version of yourself to the next. It is a path of becoming.

Heng Ou, Amely Greeven & Marisa Belger
‘Awakening Fertility’

Elizabeth Cullen treating patient with jade roller during cosmetic acupuncture

When to get Acupuncture for Fertility

Acupuncture and further preconception care for fertility support at any stage of your fertility journey will be of benefit for conception and future pregnancy although ideally, we recommend to begin Acupuncture treatment 1 year before being open to conceive to give your body the time to prepare to conceiving. This allows time to support you coming off contraception and to manage hormonal imbalances.

At a minimum, three-months of preconception care for females and if in a heterosexual relationship, males before planning to conceive is ideal and recommended.

Research has demonstrated that preconception care improves the quality and motility of sperm, the quality of a woman’s eggs and the health of her reproductive hormones to ensure healthy gestational development and birthing outcomes.

Ovarian eggs take approximately 3-months to undergo follicular-genesis (the process of egg maturation in preparation for ovulation) and in males, the process of Spermatogenesis (the production of sperm) takes approximately 74-120 days. For this reason, it is incredibly important to ensure you reserve a minimum of three-months of preconception preparation before actively trying to conceive and make the necessary changes to your diet, supplementation and lifestyle to optimise your overall health and support each stage of reproduction. At The Dao Health, our practitioners will guide you through this stage with menstrual cycle education and fertility awareness method education.

Fertility treatment frequency

For hormonal and fertility support treatment expectations are of a minimum of 3 months. Treatment remains weekly for the first month and then fortnightly for the two months following. This is then reviewed according to the individual patient and their treatment plan.

What appointment should I book for?

We recommend booking in for an Initial Women’s Health Consultation and Treatment at The Dao Health.

black and white photo of a pregnant belly

Integrating Chinese Medicine Podcast

To learn more, listen to the two part series about Preconception Care and Fertility on our Integrating Chinese Medicine podcast.

So you are ready to have a baby, now what?

Fertility treatment for men

In reproductive health and fertility, male factors play a 40% role in conception, therefore an emphasis on Preconception care for the Male partner by considering the lifestyle factors that can affect sperm health and quality is equally as important as Preconception care testing for Women.

Acupuncture, Supplementation and Chinese Herbal Medicine should be considered and we recommend for all heterosexual partners to come in for a Partner fertility consultation.

What appointment should I book for?

For a comprehensive initial consultation and Acupuncture treatment an Initial General Consultation and Acupuncture treatment is recommended. For a consultation to review your current symptoms, supplements and lifestyle, we recommend a Partner fertility consultation treatment.

RESEARCH: Kucuk EV, Bindayi A, Boylu U, Onol FF, Gumus E. Randomised clinical trial of comparing effects of acupuncture and varicocelectomy on sperm parameters in infertile varicocele patients. Andrologia. 2016 Dec;48(10):1080-1085.

patient getting needled by practitioner on yintang

Integrating Chinese Medicine Podcast

To learn more, listen to our episode on Sperm Health on our Integrating Chinese Medicine podcast.