Most women take their ability to conceive, carry a pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby for granted. After all, our moms did it, and if they could do it, surely we can.

Then we grow up, get married and find out it’s not so easy. According to the CDC, one in five women between the ages of 15 to 49 are unable to get pregnant after a year of trying. One in eight married couples have trouble getting pregnant. This does not include women who experience secondary infertility following the birth of their first child.

Infertility has many causes. Some are obvious: chronic diseases, structural defects, history of eating disorders, environmental or drug exposure, autoimmune disorders and PID. Others are not: irregular menstrual cyles, endometriosis (can take years to diagnose), PCOS (same) or the worst, no known cause.

Infertility can result in pain, heartbreak, stress, stress on the marital relationship and true self doubt for the women and couples affected. Reproductive endocrinology is a big business, but less than half of the women seeking treatment actually conceive and give birth, with the success rate declining precipitously after age 40. You may not know this, but many reproductive endocrinologists recommend that women using their services use acupuncture as another tool to increase treatment success.

Why acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a 3000 year old medical practice, a branch of Chinese medicine which includes herbal medicine, gua sha, tui na, cupping and dietary therapy. Acupuncture is the insertion of tiny,filiform needles at specific points to improve the flow of blood and energy in the body.

I came across an article on PubMed in which researchers found that the stress associated with treating infertility is equivalent to the stress of receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer. Stress inhibits the proper functioning of the body, including the reproductive system. Acupuncture is fantastic at resetting the nervous system, reducing stress and improving blood flow in the body. All these factors can improve regulation of the menstrual cycle, smoothing out the challenging periods, skipped periods and too frequent periods. Properly nourishing the uterus is important to create the optimum environment for conception and carrying a baby to term. I can provide dietary recommendations to treat a patient’s imbalances according to the patterns presented.

Curious? Call,text, email or make an online appointment for a free consultation. (Yes, we treat male infertility as well.)

Morning Light Acupuncture is hosting an open house on May 5, 2-4 p.m, where I will be available to answer all your questions.

Sara Youner is a doctor of Chinese Medicine. She owns Morning Light Acupuncture, 28 Millburn Avenue in Springfield, NJ. For more info visit
www.morninglightacupuncturenj.com