acupuncture while TTC?

[snoopy13]

has anyone tried it? I'm now doing twice a week to try to make things stick this round -- luckily there's a great sliding-scale community clinic where i live. but has it seemed to help anyone?

JD

[mama2rey]

I did accupuncture and got pregnant on the first try.....

[mamastotwo]

I take a lot of the miracles of acupuncture and fertility with a grain of salt but it does help with some stuff.
My DP did it for 5 years religiously (with several practioners) and never got pregnant. I did it a few times and got pregnant but then miscarried. This last time i didn't do it except just after transfer of embies and am pregnant with twins and did it a couple times in the first trimester. So I'm not so sure it helps actually getting pregant, but it can help a lot with stress and emotional stuff which could then help...

I do think it helps a lot during pregnancy with aches and pains (esp back), nausea (though short-lived) and general relaxation.

[Twylightdove]

I've been getting acupuncture for almost two years now with the express focus on fertility. I've been ttc for just over a year so I don't think it really is some sort of wonder treatment. Still I love it. I look forward to my appt all week. I know it has helped with stress and to better my general health. Both things are a bonus when ttc. There are some studies that show acu as increasing chances of implantation during IVF but nothing on increasing chances with non-IVF. I put it in the "can't hurt, might help" camp, especially if you have access to a sliding-scale CAN clinic.

For anyone looking for sliding-scale acu in your area you can look on this website: www.communityacupuncturenetwork.org

[Frannyo]

I would just caution you that acupuncture is not "one-size-fits-all." A westerner who recently graduated from TCM school is not going to give you the same results as someone who went to school in China or Japan 35 years ago and who's been in practice ever since. Key things to look for:
*evidence of lots and lots of experience with fertility-related TCM
*evidence of continuing ed in non-new-age healing methodologies
*do they look you in the eye, take your pulse, ask questions, take time EVERY TIME you go?
*do they needle you in the exact same places every time? If so, they're not really paying attention and you won't get optimal results.
*do they give you new herbs every few sessions, after really examining you both before and after needling?
*do they ask you to make appropriate, if unusual, lifestyle changes, such as what you eat, drink, do for exercise? Can they "catch" you if you cheat, when they take your pulse and look at your tongue?
*is there someone else there they consult with about your case?
*are they mentoring someone or teaching at the local TCM college?

I've gone to a lot of so-so acupuncturists, and now I have The Perfect Acupuncturist - she teaches ob/gyn at the local TCM college, her husband is an MD at the local medical teaching college, and she is totally present all the time, but not in a flaky, obnoxious way. I got knocked up, stayed knocked up and healthy and happy, delivered naturally, and got my hormones straightened out after pregnancy with her help. I'm 39, and if we try again, I'm totally using her again.

If you're not wowed by the results you get after three or four sessions, go someplace else. (It will take 3-4 sessions to get a real feel for what's working or not working.) TCM is generally not covered by insurance and it's too expensive not to get the results the best acupuncturist can deliver.

[bluezephyr]

We're trying acupuncture this time round...no results to report yet.

[MujerMamaMismo]

I use acupuncture for all kinds of health related issues and this is no different for TTC.

Last cycle I had acupuncture at 11dpo and then had what I believe to be implantation spotting (very light and pink, not red) the next morning. My period arrived a couple of days later but I'm pretty sure this was a chemical pregnancy. I attribute the acupuncture to the fact that I achieved pregnancy at all because 12 dpo is pretty late to be implanting. (and FWIW, a pregnancy where implantation happens at 12dpo is only 20% viable)

Anyway, I know of many acupuncture/fertility success stories and definitely think it's something that benefits me greatly.

I'm off for some much better timed, 4dpo implantation acupuncture today.