Flowing Toward Fertility
How Acupuncture Can Help You Get Pregnant
Julie Amar, R.TCMP, R.Ac
How does acupuncture support fertility? Well, to explain that, I first need to give you a crash course in Qi.
My name is Julie Amar, and I’ve been a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and Registered Acupuncturist for nearly 20 years. One of my specialties is fertility — helping my patients become happy, healthy mamas!
What is Qi?
“Qi,” pronounced “chee,” is the word we use in TCM to refer to energy or life force. We can’t see Qi, but it’s both inside us and all around us. It’s always in flux, based on the seasons and the weather, the time of day, what we’ve had to eat or drink, how much stress we’re under.
IN SOME CASES, IF WE LISTEN CAREFULLY TO OUR BODIES, WE CAN EVEN FEEL IT — IN THE FORM OF GUT FEELINGS, OUR DRAW TOWARD OR REPULSION FROM CERTAIN FOODS AND SO ON. YOU MIGHT ALSO FEEL IT MORE DIRECTLY DURING AN ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT.
In TCM, we use a holistic understanding to help us make tiny adjustments using non-invasive methods, such as acupuncture. This subtle, prevention-focused work helps strengthen us against the weaknesses that would otherwise allow disease to enter. Ultimately, TCM helps us move toward wellness.
How does Qi affect fertility?
Acupuncture works to increase fertility by reducing stress, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs and balancing the endocrine system. Fertility is a total-body project... or more like a total-life project!
In my practice, I often deal with patients who are incredibly stressed out about getting pregnant. They’ve been told the clock is ticking; they’re sometimes subjected to intense and invasive fertility treatments.
What does this add up to? Some really distressed Qi, that’s what! Which, of course, is not optimal for fertility!
Wanna-be mamas often lack time to focus on their overall well-being and don’t get sufficient emotional support. Women dealing with fertility challenges, in particular, often suffer from post-traumatic stress. What an awful way to enter a life-giving project like pregnancy.
In Chinese medicine, we shift the focus away from rigid protocols and toward Qi alignment. We focus on emotional well-being and overall wellness. I’ve helped women ages 24 to 48 conceive, carry healthy pregnancies to term, and get the support they need as new mamas!
What does Chinese medicine do, specifically?
We use acupuncture needles to help regulate and balance the Qi to make sure it flows where it’s needed and eases off where it’s over-functioning.
It takes 100 days, or about three months, for the body to prepare and release a fully mature egg, which gives us that window to get cracking. Ideally, we want conception to take place with your healthiest eggs by promoting the release of Qi stagnation, removing toxins, improving blood flow to the uterus, and stimulating ovarian function. We also want to build up that uterus to become a golden palace to hold, nurture and maintain the pregnancy.
As a TCM practitioner, I also provide advice and counseling to help you give your Qi the nourishment and support it requires.
Here are a couple of examples...
Case 1: Coming off the pill
A 29-year-old patient wanted to come off the birth control pill and work on a timeline for starting a family. We focused on rebuilding the body’s natural hormonal regulation, after the pill had suppressed it for several years. First, we jumpstarted estrogen and progesterone by engaging the pituitary gland with specific acupuncture points. We worked to relieve the body of toxin remnants from the pill while reducing anxiety, improving digestion, harmonizing sleep patterns and creating stress coping mechanisms.
After three months of natural menstrual cycles, we timed ovulation and determined the optimal time for conception. The patient got pregnant after her third natural cycle.
We continued treatment to minimize nausea and low energy in the first trimester, alleviate hip and back pain during the second trimester, and prepare the pelvic floor and cervix for labor and delivery during the third trimester.
THE PATIENT REPORTED THAT SHE DIDN'T "FEEL" PREGNANT FOR THE NINE MONTHS BECAUSE IT WAS SO RELAXED AND UNEVENTFUL.
When she was due to give birth, I provided acupuncture to support a natural induction to beat the hospital induction. The baby was safely delivered five days before the scheduled hospital induction. The baby was extremely chill and the mother was able to breastfeed and start bonding right away.
Post-partum care included acupuncture to speed up recovery from blood loss, uterine wall tearing, hemorrhoids, breast duct blockage, and genitourinary pain. After two weeks, the patient was able to get back to gentle activities, while following the recovery protocol for what we call the “fourth trimester,” which covers three months of postpartum.
Case 2: IVF exhaustion
A 45-year-old patient had a history of infertility and was going into her sixth round of IVF. I had only started to treat her after the fifth unsuccessful round. The patient’s anxiety was significant, especially because her body hadn’t had a chance to recover from the previous IVF procedures.
We spent one full menstrual cycle improving the cellular walls of the uterus, preventing ovarian hyperstimulation and regulating hormones. For IVF patients, acupuncture protocol calls for providing treatment before and after the embryo transfer. After her second IVF round with my assistance, the patient was happily pregnant and carried a healthy baby to term.
When she was sent home from the hospital after delivery, she experienced complications due to improper IV application and developed cellulitis. I provided postpartum recovery treatment and helped get her off antibiotics quickly. Treatments continued until she was able to comfortably breastfeed and get a full night’s sleep.
Bottom line: TCM really works.
One study, for instance, found that when combining IUI with TCM treatments, 65.5% of the test group conceived, compared with 39.4% of the control group, who received no acupuncture.
If you’re looking to get pregnant, I strongly encourage you to incorporate TCM into your overall plan, to keep your Qi flowing where it needs to go—toward your fertility!
Julie Amar, R.TCMP, R.Ac, is a Toronto-based Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist. In practice for nearly 20 years, she's a healer, a Qi innovator, an optimist, a fashionista, a drummer, and an advocate for women's empowerment. Follow her on Instagram for more information on Qi and TCM.