Or rather, they’re on me!

Have you ever done Acupuncture?  This traditionally eastern medical practice is believed to help stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue and boost your body’s natural pain killers and increase blood flow.  Acupuncture has become a popular therapy in western medical practice for many patients who may be undergoing chemo, having migraines, muscle pain, infertility, and the list goes on and on.

I was referred to try out Acupuncture by my mom before we even saw our reproductive specialist in Sioux Falls.  She had heard about the benefits of acupuncture with infertility from her chiropractor and gave my mom the name of a practicing chiropractor and acupuncturist in Sioux Falls for me to check out.  At this point, we had made the appointment with our fertility doctor and were just waiting to get in with him.

Now, in all of my google searches, research on how to get pregnant, and info on infertility, I had come across articles on acupuncture and infertility.  I’ll be honest, it didn’t sound that great to me and I didn’t know anyone personally who had benefited from it and didn’t know of any practicing acupuncturist’s {nor had I really looked}.  Frankly, I didn’t like needles and the idea of laying on a bed being stuck with needles all over my body didn’t sound like anything I wanted to check out!  But again, I was willing to trying most anything and I had about a month until we were getting into the doctor, so what the heck!

I was so glad I did!  No, I didn’t get pregnant by just doing acupuncture {although those success stories are out there!} but I did reduce my stress through the whole IVF process and also gained a lot of real knowledge {not just the stuff I was reading on the internet} from my acupuncturist.  I also discovered that acupuncture itself is pretty much painless.  There is a small amount of pressure when the teeny, tiny needle goes in, but there aren’t that many needles and you really don’t feel them {unless they go a little too far and hit the nerve, which yes does happen but it’s not that bad!}.  Then I would lay in a quiet, warm, dark room, listening to soft music and was directed to just “relax”.   Sometimes, I couldn’t shut my mind off and the 30 minutes felt like forever because I was thinking of everything else I needed to be doing!!!  But then sometimes I fell asleep laying there as I allowed my mind to just rest and enjoy the peace in the moment.

After we met with our doctor and discovered we’d be going down the path of IVF, we were actually referred to the chiropractor/acupuncturist I was already treating with!  It wasn’t required that I do acupuncture, but my doctor and the nurses understood the major benefits of it and encouraged all their IVF patients to try it out.  I felt like I kind of had a leg up having already had a few acupuncture sessions under my belt!  I continued to do acupuncture once every 1-2 weeks through our 1st IVF experience all the way through our transfer day.

Now I can’t say that Acupuncture was the reason for our success, but I do believe that it contributed!  Going through in vitro the first time around, I was so emotional.  I felt a lot of hopelessness and uncertainty.  I was stressed, taking that out on myself mentally, emotionally, and by not physically taking care of myself…oh and Eric, he took the brunt of that stress too!   After a few sessions of acupuncture, I could feel some of the tension that had built up in my body, releasing and my mind calming down.  Not only that, but my acupuncturist was amazing…as a person! She helped relieve some of my emotional stress by taking the time to listen and talk through some things with me.  She was very experienced in working with hundreds of other women going through this same journey as me. She sat and listened to my personal story, encouraged me to let myself cry {sometimes in office} and not build up the negative feelings and emotions that were weighing me down.  She was truly a Godsend and I still see her to this day for chiropractic and acupuncture care.

Now you might be wondering, if I’m doing acupuncture again and I think it’s so great, why haven’t I gotten pregnant??  I go back to what I said before.  I don’t believe acupuncture was the only reason for our success with my pregnancy. What it did do for me though is taught me how to focus my mind and not allow myself to stress and take it out on my body.  It taught me the importance of taking time for me and taking care of myself emotionally, mentally and physically.  This is important for everyone going through anything!  Stress and running yourself down, does you no favors and will likely only hinder your chances of success….at whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

Now here’s my plug….if you’re battling infertility, considering trying acupuncture if you haven’t already.  {And when I say trying it out, give it at least 3-4 sessions before you decide you don’t like it!  Just like with any medication you take, it has to build up in your system and I believe acupuncture is the same way.}  Go into it with any open mind, understanding it may not make you pregnant, but it may reduce some of your self induced stress that’s hindering your chances.  I really can’t say enough good things about how it reduced my stress and hope it can do the same for you!

PS~If you live in the Sioux Falls area, check out Natural Arts Chiropractic.…they are amazing!!!