Gynaecology & Fertility
How can acupuncture help fertility?
Acupuncture can benefit both men and women on their fertility journey.
An important place to start is understanding your menstrual cycle. Learning how to naturally track your cycle allows us to get a better picture of what is going on with your body. For men, its learning how to improve sperm quality and quantity.
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Acupuncture is well known in relieving stress and calming the nervous system, this is vital during your fertility journey. Over researching or taking too many unnecessary supplements can contribute to sending your body into overdrive and your mind into pieces. By visiting an acupuncturist, not only can we relax you with a treatment, but we can take the stress away from what you 'need' to be doing and give you support and advice if needed.
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Reducing stress is also helpful in rebalancing your hormones. Acupuncture can help stimulate endorphins - our feel good hormones, which, when low, are often linked to imbalances. It is often used to regulate menstrual cycles which in time shows us when youre highest potential fertility dates.
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Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood circulation, improving the quality of hormone distribution and growth of follicles within the ovaries or the quality of sperm in the testes.
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Acupuncture can be a stand alone treatment for fertility or it can be used alongside conventual fertility treatments such as IVF.
How can acupuncture help Menstrual health?
As well as the above, acupuncture is recognised as a treatment for pain management by the World Health Organisation. (WHO)
Acupuncture can be used to help ease menstrual cramps, PMS/PMDD and other gynaecological disorders by stimulating the vagus nerve which releases feel good hormones. In Chinese medicine, it works on regaining the free flow of Qi (energy) in our bodies. When an energy channel becomes blocked, the circulation becomes weaker and disharmony within the body occurs. Traditional acupuncturists, work to unblock these blocks and improve your overall wellbeing.
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Although acupuncture can not cure disorders, it can help manage and reduce symptoms allowing you to live a better quality of life.
My experience with Endometriosis.
Having suffered with endometriosis myself, my periods were erratic, heavy and painful, leaving me clung to a hot water bottle in bed for the first 2-3 days before the pain eased. Not only this, but I would experience horrific mid cycle pain, which was often worse than the period itself. Going to work was a struggle, standing up for long periods of time made me feel faint and my moods were up and down! Acupuncture helped me regulate my cycle, my bleeds became lighter and the pain decreased significantly. Learning how my own personal cycle works, means I now understand how to plan my month, when I will have high energy vs when I know to cancel plans and have down time. Its given me compassion to myself, and taking control back knowing when I feel extremely low - its actually my hormones dropping. My own personal experience with acupuncture allows me to understand what youre going through, it allows you to trust that I will fully listen to you. Periods are not meant to be painful, erratic or something to dread each month. Acupuncture, in my own personal experience, has given me my life back. Living with endometriosis, instead of it ruling me.