Accupunture.

Hi Seshi - who was it you saw in Lewes if you dont mind me asking? I am based near there! Thanks,

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All this is making me so much more optomistic. Am hoping even if it doesn't make a difference through IVF perhaps if I keep it up I will have success in the future.

yes - went to a lovely lady in Lewes, having been trying for nine months (I know this isn't very long in the grand scheme of things but was 36 so worried about clock etc etc). Was pregnant after 3 sessions.

I had acupuncture on my 4th month of TTC. We got pregnant that month.

Did it help? Not sure... it was the only month DH was home every day that month (although on previous months he'd been there on days the OPKs were positive so not sure if that's relevant)

I'd also got quite stressed about it all and was also doing yoga that month too - perhaps that helped.

It was intensely relaxing - but not cheap at £40/ week!

Iggi999 I am in Edinburgh and can recommend these guyswholeheartedly also I have not used them but I know Napiers have a Fertility clinic which combines acupuncture, herbs and nutritionhere

since coming off the pill in sep - i've had long cycles (42 - 50 days). i've had 3 acupuncture treatments over the last 3 weeks. i've found them very relaxing, calming and enjoyable. i'm now on CD 15- and have 'fertile mucus' (sorry if TMI) for the first time. part of me thinks this would have happened regardless of acupuncture, but part of me really thinks its having an effect.

wait and see...

Reading the thread and just wanted to add my experiences. I had 2 missed miscarriages and heard that accupuncture had worked for someone I knew, specifically to thicken the lining of her womb. Having seem my gynaecologist a number of times following mmc2, I knew that this was the issue. I got pregnant as soon as accupuncturist started putting needles in places to stimulate bloodflow to the uterus, despite gynae telling me that I'd missed my chance that month. It's just over a year since mmc2 and I'm 3 weeks away from having my baby! Interestingly, I read up online after seeing another thread about side effects of the mini-pill I was taking after DD was born and thin womb lining can be one of them. Ideally I wouldn't take that pill again, but if I had to, I'd definitely pick up with accupuncture again when ttc.

Having said that, it doesn't work for everyone. I recommended to a friend who has also had some problems and both she and accupuncturist decided they were flogging a dead horse. She's still ttc.

Yes and now have ds aged 2

Feedthebeast - my Acupuncturist is a member of the British Acupuncture council, is this a good thing?

Thank you very much beast, that's all really useful stuff and I think I will go through it and make a list of people I could see - really good to get an insight into the processes from someone who knows!

iggi999 - where are you getting your ovulation tests from? I got mine from www.earlypregnancy.co.uk and they are really cheap if you buy loads!! Definately not £20 a month!

I'm a huge fan of acupuncture, although I had it throughout two of my IVF treatments, I think it also works well for TTC naturally. I suffered from terrible PMT and very heavy painful periods, I went for my first session on a Friday and then came on over the weekend and it was completely pain free! I couldn't believe it, but it did something!

On our third and final treatment, we decided to go all out for success, so I took Zita West vitamins, did positive visualisation and had acupuncture every week for three months before TTC/IVF and for a month after embies were put back, I am now the very proud mummy of a two year old daughter and I'm convinced it was down to the acupuncture!

I think its important to make sure your therapist knows about fertility AP so they can 'hit' the right spots!

If I was to add up how much we spent on AP, vitamins and treatment I think I might faint! But it is so worth it when you get what you want!

Good Luck!

Iggi

I'm a practicing acupuncturist and chinese herbalist (not looking for business! on mat. leave lol) and no acupuncturist should put u under pressure for twice weekly sessions etc - def go to a specialist practitioner try the acupuncture fertility network as a start as they must have a minimum level of advanced training in acupuncture for fetility to be a member. Practitioners can time your treatments for best effect, so typically after 4 or 6 treatments once weekly you could then time it to co-incide with the part of your cycle which needs most attention, eg ovulation, if finances are a consideration.

I think herbs are essential to fertility treatments on most cases (especially if you are more 'deficient' not 'excessive'), but again choose someone who has full training in Chinese Herbal Medicine and not just 'pre-prepared formula' (PPF) Herbs can be pricy, PPF are cheaper, and can be effective but practitioners with full herbal medicine qualification are taught to a more advanced level. Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioners

Let me know if you have any questions about anything and i will do my best to help! If you do decide to go for reflexology again choose someone who specialises in fertility as the basic reflexology training can be done over 12 weeks in evening school, nothing like the 5 years full time (plus specialisation courses) to be a chinese med practitioner. I personally do not believe that reflexology can be as specific in its action on different hormones or as precise in its results as acupuncture/herbs are, but it undoubtedly is relaxing and feel good treatment (as long as you don't get a bad 'healing reaction' after and feel bad for a few days. (this is very rare with Chinese med)

Ok banging on a bit now - i hope you get your BFP soon!

FeedTheBeast

Oh, thanks for that, I'll look up the link. Wondering now which technique works best! (for fertility)

iggi I'm, in Edinburgh; I don't know about acupuncture but can definitely recommend my reflexologist - she's lovely, not horrendously expensive and I never felt a moment's unwelcome pressure from her.

here

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I'm in Edinburgh?

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Thanks Luka. I did email a fertility specialist one near me recently and ask, but they just said they couldn't say what I'd need until they assessed me - reminded me of going to a chiropractor and ending up having sessions every day for a fortnight! I'm crap at saying no..

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This sounds great (am considering it myself) but must be so expensive to have weekly sessions - I thought the ovulation tests were so expensive, but that's only £20 a month, not about £40 a week!
Though obviously if had successful pregnancy would think all worth while..

I'm another one convinced that acupuncture helped me get pregnant. In fact my acupuncturist and I are friends - his wife is one of my best friends - and I like to tell people that my friend's husband got me pregnant! I had tried to ttc for about a year, had some herbs and acupuncture to sort out my cycle, and the first time he did the actual 'conceiving' acupuncture it worked and I got pg! Would highly recommend it.

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Hi,

I've never tried acupuncture but there seems to be a lot of evidence here of positive outcomes.

However, I do work with prospective adopters who have been trying for years to conceive and its amazing how many times people conceive naturally after they have been approved to adopt. I think it is because they no longer feel under pressure and stressed. Im wondering if acupuncture & reflexology also have the same effect.