Accupunture.

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Just wondered if any of you had tried accupuncture and become pregnant following it?

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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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

Yes and now have ds aged 2

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.

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...

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

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!

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.

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.

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

having had 4 m/cs in 2 years - without any explanation from consultant who investigates recurrent m/c. i am desperate to try something new, does anyone have a contact for acupuncture in the North East?
thanks in advance

I've found this thread really interesting. I'm near Edinburgh too iggy999 and I've emailed a couple of clinics to find out more. I do believe that it may be the relaxing effect that leads to success but there's no harm in that! We've been TTC for several months and it's making me increasingly stressed out about why nothing's happening.
Thanks for the links FeedTheBeast and tothesea.

It was Anthea Mason at the Equilibrium Clinics - www.equilibrium-clinic.com/acupuncture.htm

She was just wonderful, and as i said I was preganant within 3 sessions. Amazing. It doesn't hurt, altho I did get a strange burning sensation near my tummy which i think she said was all my stress being released. It is quite emotional, I remember being very tearful in my first session. She was so kind tho and I swear this was the reason I finally fell pregnant.

To AbiAbi -when you do conceive I also highly recommend Lucy Skelton yoga www.lucyskelton.co.uk/ in Brighton. Again really relaxing. Good Luck

I tried it for @ 5 sessions over 2 months. Stopped for a month and then got pregnant following month. Had been TTC for 2 years. Was also on clomid (ovulation fertility drug) but felt the accupuncture gave me lots of info on fertility and conceiving which definitely helped me feel more informed and in control of the situation.

After 3 horrible miscarriages I am convinced I had my beautiful baby boy thanks to acupuncture. It regulated my periods and helped ovulation etc. and then had it early on in pregnancy to avoid miscarrying again and then late on in pregnancy to turn baby and induce labour. Baby did turn, but it didn't induce labour, baby's come when they are ready! I would thoroughly recommend Camilla at www.acuworks.co.uk
She has a really high success rate and it is such a relaxing experience which I am sure helps the whole process anyway.

I had two sessions of acupuncture and concieved DD3 the same month. I had been ttc for nearly a year too. I don't know if it was a placebo effect as I had relaxed and felt I was doing something positive to help myself.

I was booked in for my third session the day I found out I was pregnant and had to ring at the last minute to cancel - acupuncturist was delighted and didn't mind the late cancellation at all!

Have you had your thyroid levels checked? Mine were borderline underactive so never treated but recently have started medication even though they're still borderline - I've had so many improvements to various physical symptoms that I wonder if that's why I didn't concieve more quickly..ie my cycles have now gone straight back to 28 days after being all over the place after first pregnancy.

Good luck!

I'd been ttc for over 3 years when I tried acupuncture.We'd both been tested for reasons for infertility,I'd had lap and dye tests,clomid all sorts with no joy.2 consultants told me that we would never have children naturally and we went on the waiting list for IVF.

I started acupuncture treatment and within a few weeks my irregular periods were regular for the first time ever,and within months I was pregnant.Sadly it was an ectopic pregnancy,and the consultants said that they didn't know how I'd managed to get pregnant,but that it was too risky for me to try again as it would almost certainly be another ectopic,if I even managed to concieve.

I am bloody minded,so went back to the acupuncturist and within a month was pregnant again and had a healthy dd.The consultants were astounded and didn't really know what to say.When dd was one,we decided to ttc again as we thought it might take a while,but I was pregnant at the first attempt,with no acupuncture treatment or any other 'help'.We now have 2 lovely dds.

I'm mrs cynical,but I'm convinced acupuncture sorted my body out and that my girls wouldn't be here without it.

Good luck.