Fertility and Acupuncture
If I were considering getting pregnant, here’s my advice:
START EARLY: Pregnancy is biological, not mechanical. Meaning, it takes a lot longer. We are used to instant—babies can take time. Your cycle is once a month – plan AT LEAST 6 – 9 months of trying before you are officially ‘trying’. Getting off birth control, then wondering why you aren’t pregnant in the first couple months, then going to your gyn, who recommends a shot of clomid... takes you down a rabbit hole of intervention that oh so often isn’t necessary. If you want to be a mom, here’s where patience starts. You’re going to need it if you have a kid.
GIVE YOUR BODY MINIMUM 3 Months to prepare: the egg is actually forming 3 months prior. So 3-6 months before: reduce or eliminate coffee (green tea ok), smoking, and alcohol. Eat regular, warm, healthy meals. (This is not the time to diet).
REDUCE STRESS: Meditate, sleep, take long walks, go to a temple/church/spiritual service. There’s an internal alchemy that happens in fertility as well as an external. Stress messes with hormones. And in NYC we are Olympians when it comes to stress. Noise and Light are big stressors too – make sure your room is dark and quiet where you sleep.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE OVULATING: This sounds obvious but it amazes me how many women mention they are thinking of getting pregnant and have no idea if they are ovulating every month (no, having a period does not mean you ovulated). Also, knowing the symptoms of ovulation—changes in the body, cervical mucous, temperature – all of these are ways of KNOWING YOUR BODY—get to know it on this journey.
CHANGE YOUR MIND: This is a shift to yin, which is a place of accepting, allowing and receiving. Not yang, which is planning, navigating, insisting. Insisting you have to get pregnant at this time, after that event, in this amount of time is just unnecessary control. Give up control and let it happen to you. I know, scary, right? Welcome to being a mom. You are a mom the moment you start deciding to be a mom. That means its not about you.
START EARLY: I'm saying this again. We’ve been raised to believe if a sperm gets anywhere near us we will get pregnant. You only have a 20% of getting pregnant each month – that’s with everything working perfectly.
HAVE FUN: Babies come from sex, not from doing your taxes. Have fun, play, enjoy each other. DO NOT have “cycle sex” meaning command performance on ovulation days. Just HAVE FUN. In Chinese medicine conception is on the ‘Surprise!” channel. Babies are in the realm of ‘oops!’ -- fun – let go – it amazes me how much babies love to surprise. Its kind of in their nature.
GET REGULAR ACUPUNCTURE: Regular acupuncture improves fertility rates. I’ve seen this over and over. But you’ve got to start way earlier than most people start. Acupuncture 3-6 months before even ‘trying’.
CHANGE YOUR LIFE: Decision to get pregnant is a lifestyle change. Most of us don’t even realize how stressed, overworked, under “fun”-ded we are. All of these affect hormone levels. Parasympathetic (i.e. relaxed) is termed the “Feed and Breed” system meaning sexual arousal happens in the relaxed state. Not the stressed state.
IVF and IUI are great – but only as a last option. Its good we have these to help in difficult cases, but should only be considered after exhausting all other options. I see too many women after a couple of months going this route – without doing any other changes to their lifestyle. And if IVF ends up being the only option, definitely get acupuncture. It really helps up your chances of pregnancy and reduce the number of cycles you have to go through.
I truly believe you take on the energetic of being a mom the moment you decide to get pregnant. That means that you are bringing in the energy of another being. That being will have a say as to when and how it shows up in your life. Talk to it, or make the offer to whomever would like to be a part of your family, you are open and ready. Everyone likes to have an invitation right? Not feel they got forced to the party.
May you all who wish it, have babies in abundance. :-)
