Austin Acupuncture Fertility Approach

Our Philosophy of Fertility Enhancement

 We approach fertility as if imagining your body is an abundant, growing garden. Before planting anything, we must first clear the debris and prepare the soil, making it rich and fertile so that the tiny embryo seed can implant, receive nourishment and beautifully grow into a healthy baby. This philosophy applies to couples either preparing for conception naturally or through medically assisted conception such as In-Vitro, ICSI or IUI.

We know that you are unique and so must be your treatment, therefore, you should be uniquely cared for and not the same as the other 100 couples before you. Your body is beautiful and healthy… you are normal. You have a good probability of conceiving and carrying to term! We utilize proven acupuncture strategies and prescribe only natural herbal fertility medications to help you get pregnant and to help you stay pregnant.

“99% of Those Getting Acupuncture for Infertility Are Not Currently Being Treated By A Fertility Specialist MD.”

 After Just 3 Months Of Treatments, You Will Feel Healthier, More Relaxed And Stronger. Your Immune Function will be Enhanced and Your Reproductive Function Improved!

Austin Acupuncture Clinic Will Address Your Personal Situation and Treat You As An Individual.

We treat you based upon your personal situation and you will never be prescribed a universal treatment or receive a generic evaluation. Keep in mind that 40% of infertility issues lies with the male partner, 40% with the mom and 20% for unknown reasons. Acupuncture has been shown beneficial for both sexes. Simple testing by your MD can often determine if the male partner is the one needing treatment.

These are many of the keys to fertility enhancement, which Traditional Chinese Medicine helps to treat:

 Regulating the menstrual cycle

• Treating all forms of PMS
• Treating endometriosis
• Providing relief for PID
• Treating PCOD, regulating blood sugar imbalances, weight management and ovulation regulation
• Improving sperm motility, count and quality
• Balancing hormone levels
• Decreasing FSH hormone levels
• Increasing the thickness of the uterine lining by creating more blood flow to the reproductive organs
• Increasing the functioning of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs
• Strengthening the immune system and reducing stress
• Preventing uterine contractions
• Preventing or decreasing the chances of miscarriage
• Relaxing the body, mind, spirit and emotions

 

How Long Will it Take?

I strongly urge patients to begin treatments as early as possible and to maintain a consistent treatment schedule. Great results generally take at least three menstrual cycles, however even a single treatment can be very beneficial through reducing your stress and encouraging calm introspection. I have found that it is typically best to start the process with several sessions grouped closer together (3 times the first week, twice the second week and weekly visits thereafter). This lays a solid foundation for the subsequent sessions to continually nudge the body to better health and functioning.

How Much Does It Cost?

Acupuncture has gained the reputation of being “the greatest value in healthcare today”. The initial hour long evaluation and treatment is only $47 at our clinic with follow-up sessions also costing only $47. We have money saving programs such as pre-paying for 3 sessions for $127 (saves $14), or 10 treatments for $397 (saves $73)

What Does The Research Say?

There have been many scientific studies done in this area. A study conducted at the University of Maryland found that by adding acupuncture to their IVF therapy, the IVF is 65% more likely to be successful. Even when acupuncture is used alone (without other medical treatments), acupuncture can often reestablish fertility naturally all by itself. The majority of our patients have already undergone several rounds of IVF without success.

How and Why Does it Work?

Traditional Chinese Medicine works by regulating your hormonal imbalances to bring your body towards optimum health through the use of nutritional counseling, herbal medicine and acupuncture. These techniques will help you to help enhance your fertility by balancing your endocrine system, nervous system, immune system, and give your body the ability to achieve conception. Many patients prefer this natural, gentle approach versus the powerful forcefulness of the drugs and hormones typical of conventional fertility treatments.

Based on your Chinese Medical evaluation along with a review of all of your past and present gynecological diagnoses, I will recommend a specific program for you to follow. I may recommend certain foods and supplements that will work to assist in creating favorable conditions for reproductive health.

Herbal Medicine may also help to assist in conception by addressing your specific underlying patterns of imbalance. Just as each person is different, each herbal formula may be tailor-made for your specific conditions. The formulas are safe, gentle and effective. Formulas may be changed frequently to address different parts of the menstrual cycle, often being switched weekly or bi-weekly. While some patients choose not to use herbs for one reason or another, I have found that they greatly improve and quicken the bodies response to our attempts to harmonize its functioning. Using herbs is encouraged but not mandatory.

Fertility challenges and hormonal imbalances are linked to the endocrine and reproductive systems, which are closely tied to your ovaries, and to the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in your brain. This is the system that is responsible for menstruation, menopause, and ovulation. Together these make up the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (HPO). This system is very delicately balanced and can easily be thrown out of equilibrium by stress, the aging process, or any number of other factors. Acupuncture has actually been proven to regulate the HPO, optimizing its ability to function properly, which subsequently will increase your chances of conception. Patients report that they have a much better sense of well-being, greater energy, and less depression and anxiety when they are receiving their treatments.

1. Acupuncture in Conjunction with IVF

This is where I can work in conjunction with your Reproductive Endocrinologist, supporting his or her efforts and maximizing your time and money. A combination of acupuncture and/or herbal medicine effectively complements your ART protocol, giving you the best of both worlds, and the best possible chances for success. Research shows that acupuncture can increase the efficacy of IVF procedures up to 65%.

We do this by combining a full series of Traditional Chinese medical treatments in advance of ART procedures (such as IUI, IVF or ICSI), work to improve your overall health and regulate your nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems, creating the best possible situation for conception. Months, weeks or even days prior to embryo retrieval, Acupuncture treatments contribute to a smoother procedure.

1. Acupuncture with MD Fertility Hormone Treatments Acupuncture reduces the side effects of the medications such as Clomid, which range from hot flashes and mood swings to gas, bloating and other digestive disturbances. It also increases blood flow to your uterus, thereby thickening the endometrial lining and preparing it for implantation.

 

Acupuncture and herbal medicine may assist with treating some of the following fertility imbalances:

 Advanced Maternal Age, Poor Ovarian Reserve and Premature Ovarian Failure – As a woman ages, her ovarian reserve diminishes. Even if you are active, healthy and feel young, every woman has a fixed number of eggs at birth that naturally grows smaller as you get older. Women over 35 will have a more significant decline of their eggs, and in particular their good quality eggs. Acupuncture increases blood flow to your uterus, which may help to improve the quality of your eggs. It can also help to improve ovulation and to increase the thickness of the uterine lining for implantation of the embryo.

Unexplained Infertility – Women often receive the frustrating diagnosis of “unexplained infertility” by their doctors. Often after going through months or even years of many tests and bloodwork, there seems to be no conclusive evidence to explain the reason for the infertility. At this point a patient may be encouraged by her doctor to consider IVF or an egg donor. Through Traditional Chinese Medicine, I look at the underlying pattern of imbalance that presents itself to me through my diagnostic evaluation. From a Chinese medical perspective, there is actually no such thing as “unexplained infertility”, and I am able to diagnose and then treat you in a new and effective way which will support, balance and harmonize your body, allowing for an easier path to conception whether naturally or in conjunction with IVF.

 Elevated FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is the hormone that stimulates the growth and maturity of your egg-producing follicles. As the ovarian egg reserve diminishes, the pituitary gland must release more and more FSH. A high FSH level is an indicator of a lower ovarian reserve. It also implies that your estrogen levels are declining. Higher FSH levels are actually a perfectly normal function of aging, but are problematic for conception. Over several months, Traditional Chinese Medicine may help to decrease FSH levels. This is especially important for women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), because your FSH levels are often an indicator of how well you will respond to IVF treatment.

Stress – Studies show that women with high stress levels are up to 93 percent less likely to conceive. Stress not only reduces blood flow to your reproductive organs, it can interfere with communication between your brain, pituitary and ovaries, creating a hormonal imbalance throughout your endocrine system. Furthermore, research shows that discovering a diagnosis of infertility is as stressful for a woman as discovering she has HIV or cancer. Recent research has also shown a link between high stress levels of the mother during pregnancy and lifelong behavioral and mental health issues in their children. Another reason to consider acupuncture to alleviate stress during early pregnancy.

Acupuncture can help to relax your nervous system by releasing endorphins. The treatment works by inhibiting that “fight-or-flight” sympathetic nervous system response, which is counter-productive for conception, actually moving blood flow away from your reproductive organs. This is essential when struggling to save your life, however for conception, it actually discourages blood flow to the organs that need it the most. Acupuncture works to reverse the effects of stress – increasing circulation and regulating hormones.

Compromised Health – A variety of observable and underlying illnesses can affect your fertility. Traditional Chinese Medicine enhances your overall health, boosts your immune system and can even treat potentially disruptive ailments.

Hormonal Imbalances – Acupuncture helps to regulate hormonal imbalances by going straight to the source; the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-axis (HPOA), which is responsible for releasing the right hormones from your endocrine system in the correct amounts. This can be especially beneficial for women faced with luteal phase defects, high FSH levels, low estrogen levels or polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD).

Male-Factor Infertility – Men who suffer from reduced sperm count and/or compromised sperm, the lack of sperm production can benefit from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Motility (how they swim), morphology (how they look) and amount (how many) can all benefit from acupuncture and in particular from herbal remedies and correct supplementation.

By increasing blood flow and correcting underlying imbalances, acupuncture may improve sperm count, motility and morphology after only a few months. It has also been shown to reduce the number of structural abnormalities in sperm. Treating and improving male sexual & reproductive health of the royal court in China was one of the earliest focuses of acupuncture; quickly earning it the title “The Emperors Medicine”.

Miscarriage – There are a number of causes of miscarriage, including chromosomal abnormalities, illness, problems with the uterus or cervix, advanced maternal age, as well as hormonal imbalances. Traditional Chinese Medicine may help to prevent some of the causes of miscarriage, regulating hormones and optimizing progesterone production, essential to maintaining the uterus for a sustained pregnancy. Acupuncture has been proven to help thicken the lining of the uterus and may protect against first-trimester miscarriages.

Anovulation – Many women do not ovulate each month; the ovary’s follicle does not release a ripened egg. There are many causes of this, including PCOD, advanced maternal age, or even stress. Research shows that acupuncture and herbal medicine can induce ovulation in many patients.