Pregnancy and Fertility Acupuncture
Source:
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG10721280/Pretty-vs-Pregnant-pregnancy-and-fertility-acupuncture.html
Acupuncture has never really been on my radar. However that changed last summer when acupuncture facials became one of the hottest treatments in the beauty world. As a dutiful beauty editor, I went off to meet London-based acupuncturist and Chinese doctor, John Tsagaris, who is famed for his facials.
Part of my consultation was discussing my overall health and I thought I may as well mention that I was trying to get pregnant. He suggested that a fertility acupuncture session may be more relevant at that moment in time, I thought ‘why not’ and fertility acupuncture is what I got.
Now, I want to present the facts as they were and leave you to make any judgements or thoughts. My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant by the time I saw Tsagaris. We are young and healthy with no pre-existing health conditions. We weren’t worried about it not happening but just figured it was a matter of timing. I had one appointment with Tsagaris, he also prescribed me some Chinese herbs that I took and a few weeks later I was pregnant. It could be a complete coincidence, I will never know, but I know that I’m grateful that he decided I didn’t need a facial.
I’ve spoken to lots of women about trying to conceive, and everyone has a different story to tell. For some it’s an easy journey, for others it feels like an uphill battle, there isn’t a one-shoe-fits-all way of it making it happen but a common thread seems to be, at least amongst the women I’ve chatted to, that acupuncture was suddenly something they were thinking about or had tried. I spoke to Tsagaris about why he thinks acupuncture is beneficial, whichever stage of the pregnancy pathway you’re on.
Trying to conceive:
“Nearly half of my patients come to me because they’re trying to have a baby. When I see them it’s not actually their fertility I focus on, I look at the whole body and every aspect of that person’s health; their sleep patterns, periods and their digestion. This holistic approach is necessary because for acupuncture to work the whole body needs to be balanced. Acupuncture gets everything back to ‘point zero’ to allow the body to regulate and behave the way it’s meant to. I also believe it can’t work on its own. I always prescribe Chinese herbs in conjunction so that we are working from the outside and the inside. Many of my clients are having conventional fertility treatments, like IVF, and supplement with acupuncture and there are more studies showing that acupuncture significantly increases the success rate of IVF.”
During pregnancy:
“I only recommend acupuncture during the first five to six months of a pregnancy. It can be helpful for easing morning sickness, nausea and constipation but otherwise just let your pregnancy take its course. I sometimes see patients if they are overdue at which point acupuncture can encourage labour to start. I once went to see a patient in hospital, placed my first needle and contractions began!”
Post pregnancy:
“Acupuncture can be beneficial post pregnancy but I think Chinese herbs work better at this stage as women need something more substantial to rebuild their energy levels and rebalance their system. Plus they can be taken at home, even I don’t think women want to be going for acupuncture when they’ve just had a baby.”
