INFERTILITY
Other Women Conditions |
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At Jade Spring Wellness Center we help create a healthy and supportive environment for pregnancy.
We use acupuncture, nutrition, herbal medicine and specific lifestyle recommendations in combination with modem nutritional
supplementation to prepare a woman to be pregnant whether trying on their own or in concert with modern assisted reproductive
technologies.
How Does Acupuncture Support Fertility?
Effects Hormones
Acupuncture can influence many hormones including those that effect fertility. Studies have shown many of the effects of acupuncture are mediated by endorphins - naturally occurring opiates in the central nervous system that effect pain perception, neuro-transmitters and have neuro-modulatory functions. The endorphins influence the control of a wide variety hormones through the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis.
Reduces Stress
The stimulation of endorphins through acupuncture also helps to decrease the physiological stress response. That is why people feel relaxed after an acupuncture treatment. While one can exercise to get a "runners high" to effect endorphins specific acupuncture points have been shown through MRI research to effect specific organs and glands.
Improves Endometrial Lining
Studies have shown acupuncture improves blood flow to the uterus which may increase the success of
embryo implantation by improving the quality of the endometrium.
Can Acupuncture Improve In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)?
Yes. A 2002 German study published in Fertility and Sterility on 160 women undergoing IVF found that 42.S percent of those who had acupuncture before and after embryo transfer became pregnant versus 26.3% in a control group, a nearly SO% improvement.
What Other Methods Are Used Besides Acupuncture?
Everyone has an individualized plan that may include, nutrition guidelines, herbal medicine, relaxation therapies, lifestyle recommendations and acupressure massage.
When Do I Start Treatment?
Every woman is different. If using acupuncture and herbs alone, it can take 3 to 6 months to normalize the menstrual cycle. If you are undergoing assisted reproductive treatments it is ideal to begin acupuncture once that decision has been made.