Acupuncture For Infertility: Can It Help?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 10% of women in the United States, at peak bearing ages, are unable to get pregnant or carry the child to full term. It’s quite a large problem in thousands of women’s lives. And not only for women, but men also, as a large number of them can also suffer from infertility.
Acupuncture is often used in treating infertility, even during western medical treatments such as IVF procedures. There are documented successes.
What can acupuncture really do for infertility?
Acupuncture isn’t a quick fix. We love getting what we want now. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but right now. But it’s important to remember that acupuncture works in a way that helps your body to produce the proper hormones and healing fluids. The goal with acupuncture is to get your body to start healing itself. Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the health of your body as a whole, instead of treating only the symptoms. So you need to be committed to it.
Stress relief
Almost everyone can say that they’re under some kind of stress. Whether it be from work, school, or family no one is really immune to it. Chronic Stress can change your hormones, sending them spiraling out of order and causing a disorder known as Stress Induced Reproductive Dysfunction. Acupuncture can help combat and regulate the changes in your hormones due to stress, helping to promote a healthier body. Here are some tips on natural ways to relieve stress.
Hormonal changes
We talked a bit about hormones in the stress section, but I think it’s important to note that hormones can be flung out of balance by more than one thing. And unbalanced hormones can make fertility a big problem. What other things can cause hormone imbalances?
Soy: Though it’s sold as being healthy for us, soy contains phyto-estrogens. These chemicals fight with the hormones your body produces naturally, messing up the natural flow for men and women. Sarah C. Corriher wrote “In essence, the birth control pill is very similar to soy, because it provides estrogen in order to prevent pregnancy” in an article titled “Getting Pregnant, Curing Fertility, and Balancing Hormones”Obviously, if you’re trying to get pregnant, taking the pill is the last thing you want to do. And to make matters worse, most soy in the United States is genetically modified.
Tap water: It can contain pharmaceuticals, chlorine, lead, fluoride, arsenic, pesticides, and herbicides that have the potential to imbalance hormones.
Cosmetics: The chemicals in make-up, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, cologne, and lotion can do serious damage to how in balance you are. Even ones that say “all-natural” or “organic” have to be read over carefully. With cosmetics, if one ingredient used is organic, then they can label the entire bottle as such.
For further reading on hormones and infertility, I would suggest checking into Sarah’s awesome article!
Acupuncture can increase blood flow
Increased blood flow means improved circulation to the ovaries, which also means the ovaries have a better chance of producing healthier eggs. The chances of the uterus lining being strong enough to hold the eggs to full term are greatly increased if it has been supplied with a sufficient amount of blood.
Acupuncture decreases inflammation
If there is inflammation present in the pelvic organs, acupuncture is a good way to reduce or get rid of it. At the heart of many sicknesses is inflammation. Your body knows when something’s wrong and that is one way it tries to tell you.
Acupuncture can reduce anxiety that leads to unhealthy mindsets
It’s easy to see infertility as your fault and spiral into a mindset of blame and defeat. But that’s not the way to live. Blaming yourself, past choices, or your spouse doesn’t propagate a mindset that allows you to grow and reach past negative thoughts that cause stress and anxiety. Negative thoughts and anxiety drain you of energy and can also put more stress on you. Using acupuncture as a way to relax can help you see just how negative thought patterns are affecting your life and behavior. Surround yourself with positive people and stop following people who always spout off negativity. It can improve your mood and help lighten your thoughts.
A way to promote positivity is to create your own personal affirmations of success and wellness. Check out this post on how to write your own affirmations that suit your needs! How To Write Affirmations
Infertility is such a big opposition. It can be hard to know where to turn or what to do. You have the strength to get through this.
Keep in mind these four things:
- Surround yourself with supportive/positive people.
- Do your research. (Because knowledge is power)
- Be open to alternative methods.
- Change negative thought patterns to promote a healthy mind.
The road to wellbeing can sometimes be difficult. The key is to realize that you’re worth it and that giving up isn’t the answer!
Have you thought about acupuncture to treat infertility? Interested in Visiting our Memphis Acupuncture Clinic? Click to learn more
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