Fertility & Pregnancy Wellness
“Nourish the soil before planting the seed”
This analogy is commonly used in Chinese Medicine to stress the importance of pre-conception care. Preparing your body before trying to conceive ensures an optimal physiological environment for conception and implantation to take place. The healthier you are before trying to conceive the more likely you are to go on and have a healthy pregnancy and post-partum recovery period.
Female Factor Infertility
Fertility Acupuncture treatments are focused on restoring balance to the reproductive system. Regulating menstrual cycles and hormonal imbalances, improving egg and follicle quality and ensuring adequate blood flow to thicken the uterine lining while also addressing any other underlying health conditions related to your body constitution. Together we will track your menstrual cycle, look for patterns and tailor our treatments to whatever phase of your cycle you are in.
Acupuncture can also be used to address PCOS, endometriosis, low-ovarian reserve, ovarian cysts, fibroids, prolactinomas, recurrent miscarriage, repeated implantation failure, immunological infertility and many other common gynecological issues that can cause infertility.
Acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial when used with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In-vitro Fertilization (IVF). We will work closely with the treatment plan from your reproductive endocrinologist and use acupuncture, nutrition and lifestyle changes to give you every chance at success.
Male Factor Infertility
Acupuncture can also be used to treat male factor infertility such as low sperm count, motility or mobility issues, DNA fragmentation and azoospermia. Treatments can be used to help quit smoking, reduce stress and improve sleep – all things that are shown to increase sperm function.
Pregnancy Wellness
Acupuncture is safe and effective for all stages of pregnancy. Treatments can be done for overall health maintenance or to address any pregnancy-related issues such as morning sickness, headaches, constipation, poor sleep, carpal tunnel syndrome, heartburn and back/sciatic pain. Acupuncture can also be used for malposition of the fetus (breech babies).
Labour Preparation
Weekly Pre-birth acupuncture treatments are highly encouraged starting around 35 weeks gestation. The purpose of pre-birth treatments are to help prepare your body for an efficient and uncomplicated labour and delivery. The treatments focus on cervical ripening, effacement and managing any mental-emotional issues that may arise. Studies have shown that women who do pre-birth acupuncture report decreased labour pain as well as a shorter duration of labour. If medically necessary, we also offer acupuncture induction of labour.