WHY YOU NEED WHOLE-PERSON FERTILITY CARE
Nursery, house, neighborhood — your fertility and connecting the dots.
Welcome! If you are considering acupuncture for your fertility (especially with ART and Western Treatments), let me first say I am both sorry you are are having to go through such an intense and emotional process and also so very hopeful that this will be the answer to your hopes and dreams. This is a HUGE deal - Thanks for considering inviting me in!
I believe that often, exceptional fertility care includes not only the most cutting edge technology and medicine (which I ADORE — really, let's talk science — did you know I was originally planning on being a geneticist!?), but also the best holistic care and the space for this to truly be about you and your love, life and desire to be a parent (which I came to understand the hard way and am SO very glad I did). I want you to have an exceptional experience and the best of both worlds!
Sadly, all too often, even holistic providers get caught up in "fixing patients." This reductionistic and practitioner-centric mentality can mean a focus on just the ovaries and uterus (in other words, your Nursery) while inadvertently causing stress and strain in other parts of the patient's body (the house) and life (the neighborhood). You are a whole being and this process involves every bit of you. Your ovaries, uterus and hormones, yes, yes, yes!! But also your whole body, mind, spirit, partnership, and life.
I believe superior holistic care never loses sight of this. If we work together I promise to collaborate with you and find ways to make every aspect of your life more supported and balanced because I know doing so makes IVFs more likely to succeed and perhaps even more importantly, helps you to become a more balanced mom and brings healthier babies into a healthier world! You are not broken, you are whole.
The whole picture.
For your nursery.
I am a dedicated research nerd and started studying OBGYN specifics while I was still working on my Master’s degree from 2003-06. Since opening my private practice doors in 2006 80-90% of my patient are fertility or subsequent pregnancy patients. I've got your hormones, ovaries, and uteri (did you know that's how you refer to more than one uterus) covered. At the bottom of this post you'll find links to some of the awesome ways acupuncture has been scientifically shown to benefit things like hormone levels, blood flow to the reproductive organs (get those meds to where they need to be, support implantation and more), and a meta analysis of nearly 6,000 women showing acupuncture improves IVF outcomes (both clinical pregnancies and live birth rates). But you possibly already know all this ... there's more you probably haven't thought about, like ...
For your house.
You are more than your uterus and ovaries (In the thick of infertility that's soooo easy to forget). You have a mind (that is probably totally overwhelmed) and a body (that may be struggling with all these hormones and pokes and prods). You’ve got natural strengths and struggles too.
You want a baby to move in, and are doing SO much for your nursery, but the rest of the house matters too. So let's talk about ways for ALL of you to feel better now. Is your digestion off, are you constipated or having headaches (hormones can add to these issues), can't sleep? How about feeling irritable, confused, anxious, and worried about jinxing something? Totally guarded? Misunderstood? Yup, we can work with it all with needles and with self-care galore.
I'm not talking about me "fixing" you, I'm talking about you feeling educated, empowered, hitting the reset button and then moving forward with ideas and ways to help yourself. I'll explain science (and make it make sense) because it builds confidence and engages your mind (which is powerful). Did you know "placebo" works in 30% of any study? I say, sign me up for getting my brain involved and getting better results 30% of the time (it's not everything, but it's worth taking advantage of). I'll give you ideas for ways to do things that you actually like and evidence on why letting go of all the crazy making stuff is smart.
For your neighborhood.
You've got a budget, deadlines, responsibilities, relationships, people you care about and who care about you (FYI you can absolutely care about each other and drive each other nuts sometimes). If you’re a part of one or more intersecting minority groups like being BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, etc. that’s a big part of identity. Your best fertility care should honor and reflect all of this to give you your best odds because there are so many factors outside of your body; your Neighborhood matters too! I don't think more acupuncture is going to get the result you want if you are crazy stressed about money, driving around town, or missing more work. I don’t think you’ll do your best if your unique culture and beliefs aren’t seen.
That's why I want you to see all the BIG ways you can make your whole life more balanced and how that is worthwhile (and usually FREE!) too. We are a team, it's not about me fixing you. Even if I only see you once or twice I'm going to talk about every aspect of you and make your fertility journey about finding the best medical treatments AND your love and life and totally unique path to be a parent.
So, what does this all look like?
Acupuncture, talking, listening, education, inspiration, professionally designed handouts, videos and more, helpful links and research, spa like pampering, massage with every treatment, exclusive concierge style care for a limited number of women, on-demand education online, a clinic with evening hours two nights a week and a schedule designed to align with being available for embryo transfers as much as possible, and me completely excited to help you get balanced and be a kick *ss parent. Want to collaborate with me? Let's do this!
WANT MORE?
Want to understand more about the logistics of day of embryo transfer acupuncture (click here).
Want to chat, get started as a regular Life Healing Life patient, or check on the waiting list (click here).
LINKS TO RESEARCH
Acupuncture prior to/during IVF seem especially helpful for women who are "poor responders"
Acupuncture improves blood glucose levels in women with PCOS (important for hormone regulation)
Acupuncture improves blood flow to the uterus and ovaries for up to 10-14 days