Acupuncture and ttc - what's going on?!

[bloomingheather]

Apologies in advance for the long post - just wondered if anyone has any experience of their cycles going a bit haywire after acupuncture? I posted this on the TTC 40+ thread but thought I would start a thread too for more traffic.

I've been ttc #1 for over a year now and turned 40 a few months ago. Not a sniff of a bfp in the time we've been ttc.

Cycles are always 26-28 days and have been aware for the last while that I was ovulating around days 10-12. Confirmed this with opk's but I was pretty certain i was ovulating then anyway. I was worried that I was ovulating very early so visited GP and have been having acupuncture since July. Have had around 4 sessions and my cycle has lengthened slightly which pushed ovulation back to around day 12 so I was really pleased with that and thought things were moving in the right direction. Day 21 progesterone was absolutely fine too and we're waiting for my partner to have sperm analysis done.

However, this month has been really weird and I was wondering if anyone has any advice or something similar happen to them. I had been using clear blue dual hormone OPK's since day 8 and had negatives up until day 15 which was strange for me. I've been ovulating pretty regularly (albeit early) for as long as I can remember. Finally got a flashing smiley on Sat (day 16) and up until yesterday so 4 days of flashing smilies with no peak. Thought I might just ovulate late this month. Then yesterday, I had cramping and a headache and some nausea and what seems to be my period started - on day 19! I've never had mid cycle bleeding before and period never started before day 26. Apologies for tmi but it's quite stringy and mostly brown/dark red. More than spotting though and still have mild cramps. I have no idea what's going on! I wondered if it could be implantation bleeding which is a very very slight possibility but then according to this months OPK's, I haven't ovulated this month and it would have to have been around day 10 which is when I was getting negative OPK results!
I'm not sure whether to see the GP or whether they'll just dismiss it as a weird af due to my age, although this is very unusual for me. I managed to get an appt for today but not sure whether to go or not.
Or is it the acupuncture messing things up? Anyone any advice or something similar happen to them?

I'm very pleased you've got a lovely baby.

Well if I have acupuncture, and then conceive... whether it's coincidence or placebo effect, and if it cost a fortune (which it doesn't, no more than counselling which many of us who are struggling to conceive or have had MC are also considering, or even just massage or reflexology to relax) I really won't care!

Thanks ladies -

• for responding this morn, I've done some research and found one via Zita West and one other who's also very experienced with fertility apparently. I'll read up a bit more tonight.

It's helping to feel like I'm doing something positive anyhow, I've had all the medical tests and there's nothing wrong, and it's another week or two until we can start trying again, so I'm glad to be doing something in between!

x

Acupuncture doesn't provide a placebo. It's prescribed by the NHS for a whole host of reasons. Including pain relief and to help regulate your cycles. THIS is what helps you get pregnant. Please do a little research. 😐

Impatientmummy36 I'm also in the Manc area. I contacted the Hyde acupuncture office but she doesn't have any appointments until late October. Shes suggested to have a look on www.acupuncture.org.uk/ for other registered acupuncturist in the area. X

I found acupuncture excellent for regulating my cycles. I went from a 23 day cycle where I wouldn't conceive at all to a 28 day cycle where I ovulated on day 14. She turned it round in three cycles.

Wow, this is just what I wanted to read today!!

I posted over the weekend, I have 1 ds and since him have had 7 MC's, I have been for numerous tests but after a bit of searching last week came across so many stories about people who have conceived after acupuncture, I already have my appt for this saturday, although I have chosen to go to a chinese acupuncturist and herbalist as I believe they can also give you certain herbs to take as a tea if needed.

Its £40 for an hours session, and whether this actually works or not I believe in doing something positive for myself so I can at least try it out!

In trying accupuncture to regulate my cycles. I've had it before for pain relief and it worked for that so worth a go. We shall see. I pay £35 for a session but I like that it makes me feel like im doing something productive so I'm ok with that. It also helps me to relax so I feel that should help. My accupuncturist also offers deep tissue massage to help with pain etc so I feel that £35 is a good deal. I've paid more than that in the past for a rubbish massage front beauty salon. Each to their own of whether they believe it works or is a waste of money but if it helps that person right there feel like they are doing something positive then surely that's a good thing...placebo or not.

Bert I'm not sure I like your tone.
Go and be negative somewhere else.

ladies who use it - can you tell me please -

does it have to be a specific type of acupuncture for fertility? and does it just regulate cycles?

thanks for the info x

Tutu I used a proper fertility acupuncturist in Canary Wharf in London. Once I was pregnant I also had acupuncture for the morning sickness. She was fabulous. I would recommend you find someone that is specialised in the fertility field.
Happy to pass on my lady if you are in London.

@vicar. I think it depends on what you go for. Mine is to try and regulate my cycle. Only have one day of a proper bleed the rest is clotting and spotting and it's quite long around 34 days. So going to try and sort that out. Part of what could be causing the problems is a 'cold uterus' and so the lining does not shed evenly and properly every month which then means it's harder for the egg to implant because the lining of the womb is uneven. How she knows I have a cold uterus I don't know. Something to do with bruising easily feeling the cold easy and cold extremities.

Mouselove thanks, that's one of the ones I called and left msg for this morn! I'll look at the others too and do some more reading up tonight.

Absolutely agree with what everyone's said: it's about doing something positive for yourself and taking some control over a difficult situation (and also acupuncture is pretty tried and tested, for all sorts of things, it's hardly witchcraft!).
x

'Blooming heather' I had two cycles in past two years ttc where I had a short two day period at day 17 and day 15,
I decided it was too much blood to be just spotting/ implantation bleeding. Spoke to my gp and they reckoned was just hormonal imbalance, they said to come back if it happened often. You can also have an LH surge without actually ovulating your body is just gearing up to ovulating... I think sometimes our bodies do strange things. Has it ever happened before?

I'm also really interested in trying acupuncture, good to hear everyone's experiences. Definitely next on my list.

Thanks Caz. Yeah, it was too heavy to be spotting or implantation bleeding. It does seem more likely that it has been by hormones being out of sync for whatever reason. It ended up lasting almost 5 days mind you, which is quite a bit longer than my periods normally last.

No, never happened before at all - that was one of the reasons I was so worried about it. I did have a terrible run up to my period before this one - awful, awful PMT which lasted almost 2 weeks, terrible breast pain, cramping and chronic irritability which was not pleasant and caused a few arguments between dp and I. I do get quite noticeable PMT anyway but this was something else. My acupuncturist said that this might have been connected to it, like the after effects somehow! As long as it is gone never to return in quite a while, that will suit me!

Can I ask, how often do you have acupuncture and is it at certain times in your cycle, does that matter? I'm toying with just booking the first available appointment at my local clinic but I'm not sure where I'll be in my cycle. X

Hi mouse. I've been having it roughly every 2 weeks. The acupuncturist always asks where in my cycle I am at the start of the session and adapts what she's doing depending on that. I know that because when I saw her last week she had to change what she had planned to do because of my surprise period that turned up 10 days early!
So you should be able to go wherever in your cycle you are, but she will probably put the needles in different points depending on what you tell her.

Booked first appointment for Weds, found a female Chinese doctor with a. PhD In acupuncture and lots of experience with fertility/pregnancy, who has reams of testimonials from people who've conceived following her treatment. Was hard to choose someone so I hope she's a good choice!

Ooooo impatient, please could you pm me the details for the one you went with, in having a bit of trouble finding one and I know we're in the same area. Thank you!! X

Mouselove so sorry can't work out how to pm!! But I have contacted these 2, both had appointments available, both nr Stockport

www.acupuncturewithlin.com/

www.stockportacupuncture.org.uk/

X

I've had three sessions this week on days 10, 13 and 16 and I ovulated on day 15 (yesterday). That's it for now as it's not safe in the first trimester which I hope to be in very soon

Might be a placebo but I actually caught my surge on Wednesday morning and had pretty painful ovulation cramps yesterday so definitely feel like something is happening.

I'm in the North East if anyone wants recommendations.

Confirmation bias, you hand over money and want to believe it works. Placebos are very powerful especially to the desperate

Couldn't give a shit if it's just a placebo if I get pregnant to be honest.

Yea but there's all the people who hand over money to be disappointed

I had acupuncture to help regulate my cycle as I have PCOS. I conceived after a few sessions, but it was during an unusually long cycle. I kept testing after my period just didn't happen one month and it was negative, then it didn't arrive the second month but I got a positive test. From scans I definitely hadn't conceived at the earliest point. Perhaps I hadn't actually been ovulating with previous periods.
Anyway, maybe the acupunture helped maybe it didn't. But I could afford it and it wasn't doing any harm. So I would say worth a try but don't pin all your hopes on it.

@juneybean I’m in north east, do you mind telling me where you went for acupuncture? Hope you were successful