There was a time at the beginning of the noughties when acupuncture was headlined as the go-to treatment to assist in fertility. This meant that I saw a great many women who had experienced hardship on their journey to building a family. There were the unexplained infertility cases; the recurrent miscarriages; the IVFs; the ICSI’s; the ectopics and those women who fell pregnant easily the first time, only to find that conceiving a second time was near impossible.
Despite each case being treated individually and holistically, the over-riding message that I gave to each patient was the importance to improve the internal conditions for a healthy pregnancy to take place. It’s natural to latch onto the idea that your acupuncturist can miraculously help get you pregnant based on how the media’s portrayal.
Before booking in with any TCM practitioner, a woman must first ask themselves if their physical and personal situation are optimal (within reason) for bringing a child into the world. Is she willing to commit to treatment? Follow the lifestyle advice? Take the herbal formulas prescribed? Make and drink the bone broth? Do the cardio exercise for one half of the month followed by more meditative practices later on? Accept the financial implications without any “guarantees” of success? Send the spouse for treatment too even if their sperm has been reported as “healthy”? Does her job allow space for bringing a new life into the world? Is there harmony in the relationship between her and her partner?
It should also not be underestimated how huge the emotional component involved is. Feeling mentally well and being relaxed leads to an easier pregnancy, childbirth and a constitutionally healthier child. This is related to the pre-heaven essence (Jing) that is given to our offspring. The quality and quantity of Jing is finite and it’ll impact on the health of the individual overall so the conditions of conception are paramount in both mother and father.
(Although, we all know that “accidental” pregnancies can occur and there are also those born out of nonconsensual intercourse. In these situations, the vitality of both people (as well as timing) would have been enough to lead to conception.)
The final message of this blog is to reiterate the magic of creating life. If it were the simple chemistry of sperm meeting egg, wouldn’t we all be conceiving? Why are our best chances approximately 33% at best? The answer is in TCM.
Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang must all be in harmony for a successful pregnancy that goes to full term producing a robust child.
Do the research, track your cycle and take a quizzical look at your lifestyle. Without defensiveness or shame, explore ways that can optimise your health to lay the groundwork for what lies ahead.