Is There a Superior Time in My Cycle to Schedule My Acupuncture Treatment?
Yes and No. If it means it’s totally going to stress you out to squeeze in a session only to dart out the door to the next appointment, it may not have an optimum effect. Are there ideal days I try to see you to encourage certain things to happen in your cycle- Yes! Typically after your intake it is discussed as to which days would be best for your particular fertility challenges. (day 1 of your cycle is the first morning you have your menses)
Cycle Info & Recommendations
Days 1-4
This is helpful if you experience painful periods that are debilitating or immense grief that another month has passed without your baby.
Days 4-6
Treatments in this stage help to ensure the uterus has fully emptied it’s lining so a fresh one can be built, giving you the best chances for implantation to happen in the upcoming cycle. Treatments in this stage also begin to guide blood flow to the ovaries and hope to encourage epigenetic expression in a positive manner, i.e. chromosomal expression.
Days 10-14
Treatments during this time are typically designed to stimulate ovulation. It can be helpful for both partners to come in for a treatment at this time if this is possible or desired by your partner. Some studies have shown that acupuncture can help increase an enzyme around sperm that is helpful for fertilization and implantation. Psychologically I find that it can be helpful for woman to feel supported in a fertility journey when her partner joins in treatment. This is couple specific and no one should ever be forced to do acupuncture if they don’t want to.
5 days post ovulation
(approx days 17-19 of cycle but will vary based on actual fertilization) A treatment during this time can potentially help to increase chances of implantation if scheduling allows. This is helpful when there is a history or chemical pregnancy, an “unexplained infertility” diagnosis, or repeated miscarriage.
A few days before you are able to test
(approx days 26-28 but varies upon cycle length) If anxiety is your foe, a gentle treatment during this time can help to sooth the tsunami of emotion that can happen. Meditation is also heavily recommended during the entire luteal phase and you can find free ones here. Also, all current fertility patients are gifted 30 fertility meditations created by Hillary to empower you to find your peace in-between treatments.
What are some of the conditions within fertility Hillary has had experience treating?
Unexplained infertility is my favorite because most of the time the paradigm of Chinese Medicine has an explanation as to why it’s not happening and then I can go about rebalancing the system to optimum levels so conception can occur naturally. I’ve treated many women with PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome), DOR (diminished ovarian reserve), AMA (advanced maternal age), MTHFR gene mutations, Corpus Luteum dysfunction or low progesterone, Endometriosis, Fibroids and I am adept at treating male infertility as well. In my observation 30% of the time it’s the male that is the issue, 30% of the time it’s the female, and 30% of the time it’s a combination of both partners. Don’t avoid having your partner checked. I am also to help assist anyone going through IUI, IVF, or donor egg or sperm IVF’s. If you think you may need medical intervention in addition to acupuncture, my Reproductive Endocrinologist of choice in the Tampa Bay area is Dr. Celso Silva at Shady Grove Fertility in South Tampa.
If you have further questions you are welcome to contact me at the clinic. If you want to see what you can do before trying acupuncture or you are terrified of needles and still seeking holistic support, I would encourage you to try Fertility Coaching with me. You can read more about my coaching philosophy here.
