Have you started to plan for a family or are looking to expand your current one?  Whether you are just beginning to think about having children or are already in the process, there are many ways to enhance your fertility to create the family of your dreams.  

Many women and men today are turning to Acupuncture as an effective method for increasing fertility and maximizing their chances of conceiving.  

In an ideal scenario, a woman would start preparing her body for pregnancy 3-6 months before trying to conceive.  A multifaceted approach of healthy eating, adequate exercise, stress management strategies and acupuncture can lead to faster conception rates and reduced negative symptoms during pregnancy.    

In our modern society, we are seeing pregnancy rates that are lower than they have been in decades. This is due to a number of factors such as high stress, poor diet, ill health, lack of sleep and lack of time.  High stress can impede ovulation in a woman and reduce the number of viable sperm in a man.  There is also a trend where women are choosing to start families later in life, which has led to reduced fertility potential because of the long-term effects of poor lifestyle habits.  To aid with this situation, more women are now opting for procedures such as IVF, donor eggs and fertility drugs to increase their chances of conceiving.  It has been shown that Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) have increased success rates when used in conjunction with acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a practice that has been around for thousands of years. It is a system of complementary medicine that involves placing thin needles in certain points on the body to balance various physical, mental and emotional conditions.  This balancing action leads to greater health and wellness and helps to relieve stress and tension in the body resulting in enhanced fertility potential.

The British Medical Acupuncture Society released a 2006 study that showed “acupuncture has a positive effect and no adverse effects on pregnancy outcome.”   Multiple studies over the past 2 decades have demonstrated that if used together with standard Western fertility treatments, conception rates can be as high as 65%. 

Weather a woman is looking to enhance her fertility naturally or to improve ART conception rates, acupuncture is an effective modality that should be considered in this process. 

To start off, below is a list of must-read tips will help you on your way!  And to take things to the next level and really dive deep into your individual needs, you will want to consult a qualified TCM Practitioner and Acupuncturist to help guide you through the process.