Kate had been trying to get pregnant for several months. He doctor had not yet come up with a physical reason and her partner’s sperm tests had been normal. While not yet diagnosed as being infertile she was concerned. She had heard that acupuncture could be used to treat infertility but she knew nothing about it. Time to find out she thought.
Kate first learned that acupuncture has been in practice and development in China for thousands of years. It also has been used to treat many illnesses during that time. While Kate did not know much abut China she did know that it is a very old and established civilization so maybe there is something to acupuncture.
So Kate kept reading and learned that acupuncture treatment involved the insertion of needles. The needles are inserted along meridians that control energy flow. By adjusting the insertion points the acupuncturist can treat various illnesses. Kate learned that the needles are disposable and only used once to make sure they are sterile. She also read that the needles are tiny and cause little or no pain.
So now Kate had a better idea about acupuncture but still wanted to know exactly how it worked. Was there any science behind it? Kate did not know much about science but what she did find out was that the treatment stimulates the production of endorphins for pain relief and neurotransmitters for healing. So there was indeed some scientific basis for the treatment.
OK Kate thought, so how can acupuncture help infertility? She dug a little deeper and discovered that one of the benefits of acupuncture treatment is improved circulation. This helps infertility by helping women produce healthier eggs and by improving the thickness of the uterine wall. Kate knew that egg health was important and she had also learned that a thick healthy uterine wall is important because the embryo places itself there in the initial stages of pregnancy. Kate also found out that acupuncture helps increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization.
I wonder how long you have to have treatment Kate thought? She had read that when using acupuncture along with in vitro fertilization the treatment was started several months before the IVF procedure and continued afterwards. Treatments were done on a weekly basis. This made her think that acupuncture was a treatment that took some time to work. As she read further she learned that she was right. Acupuncture works best over time. Treatment length can vary depending on what is being treated but it is not a one-time treatment.Facial acupuncture
Now Kate knew a lot more than when she started. She also began to think that acupuncturists are highly trained and skilled professionals and that treatment might be expensive. She checked around a little and found that rates varied from professional to professional. She also learned that compared to high-tech procedures like in vitro fertilization acupuncture was very cost effective. She decided to find out if her insurance would cover any acupuncture treatments.
Kate decided that the best thing to do now was to talk with her doctor and her partner. She had learned that acupuncture treatment frequently was combined with herbal treatments and thought her doctor would need to know about that. Also she thought that if she did decide to try acupuncture it was only part of the treatment plan and that her doctor needed to know. And of course she wanted to let her partner know about what she had learned. The work she had done made Kate feel better. She had found out about another treatment option and was keeping her mind open to all possibilities.