Acupuncture For Fertility And Miscarriage Support - A Couple's Dream Baby Comes True!
Manchester-based Lily Lai, PhD introduces this case study to showcase the power of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and how, with her expertise in fertility, she helped a couple overcome miscarriage and infertility to get their dream baby girl!
How can Acupuncture can be used for fertility and miscarriage support?
Caitlin, 36 and John, 38 (not their real names) had already been through a lot before they came to see me for acupuncture and Chinese medicine. They were both busy and successful professionals and it had been a difficult road so far on what they thought would be an easy journey towards starting their family together.
Caitlin and John had been trying for 6 months when they fell pregnant and which sadly ended in an early miscarriage. Caitlin had a history of fibroids but no other known gynaecological issues prior to becoming pregnant. However, since her miscarriage, she had developed ovarian cysts and irregular anovulatory cycles having had regular 28-day cycles before she fell pregnant and her consultant advised her not to try again until the cysts had gone. Caitlin was also overweight and had gained additional weight since the pregnancy, and she wanted us to work on supporting her hormonally as well as metabolically before she became pregnant again.
Because of our integrative approach at the practice, we discussed the role of medical testing for both Caitlin and John. However, because the ovarian cysts can affect the reliability of certain hormone tests and because they had initially fallen pregnant relatively quickly, we agreed that testing could be delayed for a few months whilst we worked on preparing Caitlin’s body for pregnancy with Chinese medicine.
After discussing their medical history, we identified the key problem areas that needed to be addressed as part of their road map to pregnancy. We agreed on a treatment plan using acupuncture and bespoke blends of Chinese herbs as well as dietary and lifestyle changes that, because of Caitlin’s busy lifestyle and hectic work schedule, we ensured were realistic for her to achieve.
What did the Chinese medicine treatment plan for fertility and miscarriage support look like?
The treatment we agreed on was as follows:
Once weekly acupuncture treatments to tackle different aspects of Caitlin’s menstrual cycle - to regulate ovulation, reduce stress, regulate the sympathetic nervous system and improve wellbeing.
Daily Chinese herbal medicines to support fluid metabolism in the ovaries, improve antioxidant levels to improve egg quality, regulate her hormones, support digestion and metabolism and reduce inflammation in the pelvis. These were provided in granulated form to make it easier for Caitlin to take every day.
Dietary and lifestyle changes that included introducing more complex carbohydrates and fibre into each meal (including breakfast!), eating less cold and raw foods overall and gradually increasing activity levels by incorporating more movement into her busy day.
An ultrasound scan was scheduled for a couple of months’ time which would give us some time to work on regulating her hormones before checking the status of her ovarian cysts.
What were the results?
To Caitlin’s delight, the ultrasound scan showed that her ovarian cysts had shrunk. Encouragingly, this meant she and John could now try naturally again!
The irregular cycles that Caitlin suffered from after her miscarriage reverted to regular 28 day ovulatory cycles, evidenced by BBT temperature charts and at-home ovulation tests.
Soon followed Caitlin’s very happy positive pregnancy test and natural pregnancy.
We agreed that tailored pregnancy support would be important at this stage to support Caitlin hormonally as well as emotionally. Bespoke first trimester support was provided with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines up until the dating scan at 12 weeks.
Caitlin then continued with second trimester support until 17 weeks into her pregnancy, at which point we agreed that everything looked healthy and well and that no further support would be necessary.
Caitlin carried her baby to term with no pregnancy complications and a completely healthy delivery!
The final result? Two proud parents to a beautiful baby girl who was worth the wait!
Another acupuncture & fertility success story with Lily!
Caitlin and John’s case shows just how much can be achieved when using our approach of combining traditional and scientific know-how of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to support natural fertility.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how Chinese medicine can help with your natural fertility, get in touch with Lily today for a no-obligation chat!
…And a testimonial from the proud mummy herself!
Prior to seeing Lily, I had suffered from a miscarriage which resulted in irregular periods. I also had ovarian cysts over a period of 2-3 months before I had my first appointment with Lily.
I wanted to try to conceive again following my miscarriage but was advised to put this on hold whilst I waited for the cysts to shrink. I was advised to wait for 3 months and decided to contact Lily to see if Chinese medicine could shrink the cysts without waiting for the whole 3 months. I also wanted to get my cycles regular so that I could try again and also to try and stop another miscarriage.
Within 3 months, the ovarian cysts shrank and I had this confirmed by having a scan. My cycles reverted back to 28 days and I was pregnant within 3 months of starting the Chinese medicine. I stayed on the medication until I was 17 weeks pregnant which I feel went a long way to help avoid a miscarriage.
I liked the consultations as Lily involved my input into the treatments and we therefore made joint decisions on how to proceed, taking into considering my preferences and also what would be easy for me to achieve/adhere to. Thanks for all your help Lily!