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Can Acupuncture Help You Conceive?

Get to the Point of Conception

By Kim Seidel

From working long hours to eating on the run, along with painful periods, PMS and other female issues, women may need a jump-start to get in the right reproductive direction. "These disharmonies may result in difficulties with fertility by affecting various parts of the reproductive cycle: production of the egg, fertilization of the egg, implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus and the ability to 'hold' the pregnancy," Pobiak says.

Women vary in what they're looking to gain from acupuncture treatments. "Many women trying to conceive want to avoid the undesired side effects and accumulated toxicity from invasive procedures and drug therapies and may desire to use acupuncture as an added fertility boost," Pobiak says. "Other women may have already started seeing a fertility specialist and could be anywhere from testing their hormonal levels to starting procedures such as IUI, IVF, GIFT, etc. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is used to strengthen and balance one's general health so that these procedures are more effective." Pobiak points out that acupuncture also can invigorate sperm and enhance a man's sperm count and motility.

The TCM approach varies from woman to woman. "First of all, TCM treats the whole patient not just the disease or condition," Pobiak says. "Each patient is treated by their individual signs, symptoms and 'patterns.' The idea is to stimulate the body's natural healing abilities by treating root causes rather than just symptoms."

Every woman will have a group of signs and symptoms that are completely individual to her. This will distinguish her particular Chinese pattern and help to establish her treatment approach. Herbal recommendations also will be completely tailored to the individual. Treatment sessions and herbs will vary as the patient changes and improves. "There is no tried and true amount of sessions," Pobiak says. "However, it is reasonable to expect significant benefits and changes somewhere within eight to 10 treatment sessions. Acupuncture has a cumulative effect, and it is recommended that the patient go at least once a week for treatments. Large gaps of time in between treatments will only slow or hinder the effects."

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