Pregnancy and acupuncture

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Planning on becoming a mum one day? Hopefully you’ll be one of the eight in 10 women who fall pregnant within a year.

If you struggle to conceive you’ve got plenty of options, including IVF, the use of which has more than doubled in the past 10 years. But there’s a more natural approach that could be just as effective: acupuncture.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture helps regulate qi, a form of energy that flows through your body. When qi is thrown off balance, health issues can occur.

“Research is being carried out in clinics and hospitals worldwide, verifying the beneficial use of traditional Chinese medicine in treating infertility,” says Jane Lyttleton, clinical director of The Acupuncture IVF Support Clinic.

So how does being needled help? “It depends on what’s causing your infertility,” says Lyttleton. Here, five main conditions her clinic treats:

Polycystic ovary syndrome “Acupuncture can reduce some of the internal factors that prevent polycystic ovaries from working properly,” says Lyttleton. A study in the American Journal of Physiology found repeated acupuncture treatments increased ovulation frequency in PCOS patients.

Endometriosis “Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been shown to be effective for reducing the symptoms of endometriosis and improving fertility,” says Lyttleton. “They work to reduce inflammation and regulate the patient’s immune activity.”

Poor ovary function “Acupuncture can help with irregular periods by regulating hormones to improve menstrual cycle regularity, which will in turn increase fertility.”

Male infertility “Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit of acupuncture to sperm quality – especially when there is low motility [when sperm aren’t moving forward correctly] or high numbers of abnormal forms,” says Lyttleton.

Stress It’s not news that stress can have a negative impact on fertility. Thankfully those little needles can be great for stress reduction, says Lyttleton. “Acupuncture can raise your endorphin levels and reduce stress hormones allowing your body and mind to relax immediately.” Om...

Related: Should you freeze your eggs?

Need(le) to know: Your acupuncture questions, sorted.

*Who’s it for? “We have two main groups of patients,” says Jane Lyttleton, a Chinese medicine infertility treatment expert. “Women in their late 30s to early 40s, who want to use every strategy they can or who have tried IVF with no success. The second group: younger women having difficulty conceiving from having a gynaecological condition, like endometriosis or PCOS.”

*Does it hurt? It’s nothing like the flu jab, says David Lee, program leader for acupuncture at Endeavour College of Natual Health. “If the needle is placed in the right position you won’t feel a thing.” Typically they stay in for 20-25 minutes – enough time for a nap.

*How much does it cost? Consultation and treatment ranges from $75-90 per session. You won’t pay in full if you have health cover.