Any advice on fertilty treatment with Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine...

[XavysMummy]

I went to have acupuncture at Belly Belly pregnancy centre on Thursday and I was very impressed with how thorough the Dr was... he a lot of experience in treating infertility using Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. He spoke to me for almost an hour asking many questions about my periods, my borderline PCOS, my cycles on Clomid and a lot of detail on my 2 MCs. After he collated all my details and explained to me that in Chinese medicine they believe that the body needs to be given the opportunity to heal after the physical & emotional stress of miscarriage. He said he would recommend that my husband and I wait a year before TTC again. I was devastated, not necessarily because I was going to take his advice but because I thought I wouldn’t be able to use this practitioner because I am not willing to wait 12mths. I expressed my thoughts and explained that my OBGYN who I trust and respect has told me I can TTC as soon as my period returns...and with all due respect my OBGYN has been taking care of me for 2yrs and I don’t know this guy. He then said that if I went and got UTD straight away, he couldn’t guarantee that my body would hold the pregnancy... I replied with....”Who can?”
So I guess we locked horns a little to suss out where each of us were at and then he said that if I would wait 3mths, that would be better than nothing. He then did 25mins of acupuncture which is one of the most relaxing experience I have had in a long time, I fell into a light sleep and then woke up feeling refreshed but at the same time I felt I needed a good sleep afterwards. I actually went home and had a hours sleep.
I was also given chinese herbs to take morning and night which I must admit I have struggled with...they taste FOUL!! I gagged yesterday morning when I tried to take them, and I didn’t try again until this afternoon at which time I managed to swallow the herbs but did almost throw up afterwards.
So to cut a long story short I am trying to work out what my options are and that the advantages are of sticking with acu and chinese medicine.
What I think I want to do is start clomid again when my period returns (its been 5wks since my D&C for my 2nd MC) but continue having acupuncture in conjunction with it.
Does anyone have any stories about acupuncture they can share?

[dreamtobeamummy]

I personally do not have any stories as I have not yet started it, but will be getting prices etc this week.

My Sister on the other hand, had VERY iregular periods, she had a few cysts (not as many as myself) and problems falling pregnant. Well she started acu and chinese herbs/medicines and the lady said within 3 mths your periods will be back to normal... well that happend and she fell pregnant the following month!!! Ive heard so many great stories about it and there is hope out there... also a lady (can't remember her user name) on here just got her BFP after 5 rounds of acupuncture, herbs etc.

Good luck! And im sure it will all work out :hugs:to u

[Craftymum]

Kaz, sounds like you had an interesting experience there! If it were me I would try for 1 cycle and just see how your body reacts to the acupuncture and herbs - it cant hurt. I did one month and it did help with my AF heaviness. Each week they treat a different part of your cycle where they prepare your body for AF, and then help get rid of all the waste after AF etc.

Good on you for trying it, and my recommendation is to stick with it for 1-2 months and make your own judgement hun :hugs:...

The herbs are foul aren't they! But by the end of the week I got used to it! :laughing:

[rynosmum]

My acupuncturist suggested that after 2 recurrent miscarriages, I should not TTC for 3 months to allow my body to rest. I fell pregnant the next month and had therefore already been on Fertility Support herbs for 4 weeks.

I went weekly (sometimes fortnightly) throughout my pregnancy and she supported me every single step of the way - in fact was the first person I updated after each scan.

As you can see in my Av, I now have a gorgeous baby girl. I swear by my acupuncturist and her treatments and if I wanted to fall pregnant again and carry to full term, I would go back to the weekly sessions and herbal treatment.

About your herbs though, it sounds like they are liquid form? I used ChinaMed Fertility Support 2 which are tablet form and tasteless. 2 morning and night. Some practitioners prefer the liquid or powder herbs but I figure if you can get it in a tablet, you're more likely to actually take them:yes:

Good luck with your journey!:hugs:

[Eeyore]

After almost 16 months of ttc, an early miscarriage, three rounds of clomid, I sought the opinion of a doctor of chinese medicine (in conjunction with the clomid). She looked at my temp charts and my tongue and emailed me a chinese diet therapy so that I could encourage swimmers and eggies, and to regulate my system. She also gave me some herbs which smell like wet dog! I find that if I drink it in the hottest water I can handle and stir as I drink, it goes down easier.

I guess what your acupuncturist is trying to do is create a good environment and healthy eggs for conception. Knowing that, the wait can be unbearable (we didnt wait the 12months to re-start ttc). Now, after seeing the doc of chinese medicine for this cycle I am thrilled to say that it worked. Yup, finally up the duff. I dont know if it was the acupuncture or the herbs or the clomid, but I'll take it without question. If the acupuncture makes you feel good and gives you a little bit of a reprieve from the stresses of ttc, it can only be a good thing.

Good luck and I am sending you buckets of baby dust your way :babydust2:

[XavysMummy]

Thanks for the response girls... I really appreciate it...

Any more stories out there?

[LittleMissyMoo]

Ive heard so many great stories about it and there is hope out there... also a lady (can't remember her user name) on here just got her BFP after 5 rounds of acupuncture, herbs

:laughing: That's me!

Obviously I HIGHLY advise you to follow your TCM dr for three months. It only took me 5 weeks of acupuncture and herbs to conceive and Im so glad I did it this way. Im so relaxed, having fantastic sleep and overall I feel like im in a great state of body and mind. Yes, the liquid tonics suck, but try and drink them as hot as you can and chase them up with a piece of orange, or put some honey in the tonic. You may gag but it'll be oh so worth it my friend!

I understand the emotion at waiting 3 months when it feels like you've already waited forever but once you get started it won't take you long :D

So try to relax, enjoy your treatment and best of luck with your journey, keep me updated :hugs:

[mrmoosmum]

I credit acupuncture and chinese herbs for giving me my son. We tried for 3+ years and I fell a month after seeing the acupuncturist. Sadly these were miscarried but i continued to follow his protocol and fell again with a live one soon after. He did advise a 3 month break which I ignored but it still took just over 3 months anyhow. I think one of the reasons they suggest a break is that even a pregnancy for a short period depletes the body of nutrients, so I would make sure i was taking good prenatal supplements.

The herbs are horrible but worth it!