Going out on a limb and trying acupuncture... (BFP mentioned, not mine!)

tklouda · April 2014

So, background story: a few years ago I had a Bartholin's Gland cyst that my doc found and said that the only options were invasive, expensive and painful surgical procedures. Determined to "fix it" myself, I went on a month-long raw food diet, coupling with some herb soaks and was able to get rid of the cyst myself. My doc was so impressed as she said she's never seen one go away without surgery. After that, I think that sometimes I can "fix" things by adopting a healthier lifestyle, so I decided to try some holistic things when it came to my PCOS dx, especially after reading how diet and weight play a big factor (and who didn't gain a few pounds over the holidays...?). The nurses at my doc's office PUSH and PUSH me to go on Clomid, but I wanted to try it myself and I was able to restore O myself with diet, exercise and massage. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get my cycle on track without Provera. I hate the evil hormone monster I become on it and hate waiting like 75 days between each cycle (all the while eating a very strict diet, not knowing if my crazy holistic approach will work to O that month...)
Fast forward to last weekend when I came out of the IF closet to my long time best friend. She told me about her co worker who spent 8 years TTC and over $200,000 on IVF before deciding to stop trying. Then, she heard about this fertility acupuncturist and decided to go without telling her DH. He said that 90% of his patients get a BFP in 6 months and 3 months later, after 3 visits (no OPKs, no BBTT, nothing special) she got her BFP! Then she told her cousin who had IF and she got her BFP the next month! And the stories go on...
Am I crazy? I need to try this. Have my first appt. next week... I'm not afraid of the acupuncture but I AM afraid of false hope.

ronniesgirl1981 · April 2014

Acupuncture is not at all crazy. I go regularly and enjoy it. HOWEVER, you need to realistic about what acupuncture can do for you. For me, it reduces stress. Some studies have shown that it can increase blood flow to your uterus and thicken lining.

It is not a one-stop, cure-all for IF.

tumbleweed123 · April 2014

I don't think that acupuncture is a magic cure -- but I will say that it has helped me tons with sports injuries and for that I am a believer. I don't think there is any harm in getting acupuncture, but I'd be wary of thinking that it will quickly solve fertility issues. My RE thinks that acupuncture is great for stress relief and I totally agree with that. I always feel great after a session, and there is nothing wrong with that!

tifga · April 2014

I LOVE acupunture! I acutally just got home from acupunture.

I started going twice a week last cycle to a community acupunture place. They were very clear at the start it can take 3 cycles before I might see my postive.

If nothing else it is very calming and anything that can help you calm during a time like this is good.

You should give it a try, if you have community acupunture near you (I don;t know what size a city you live in) it is very cheap.

ky29 · April 2014

I just started going too. I love it. I'm not planning for it to work, but I am hoping it will at least help me mentally. The guy I go to only sees patients that are ttgp - that's all he practices. I decided that we will give this about 3 months naturally, then we may go back to IUIs with the acupuncture. Good luck, hope you like it!

tklouda · April 2014

Thanks everyone for the input! I went to an acupuncturist once before for cat allergies, but I was in grad school (read: POOR) and could only afford two sessions. I've had a lot of stress lately and you're right. If anything it will be a good stress reliever. I won't get my hopes up because nothing is worse than getting your hopes up and being let down!

wishiwaspreggo · April 2014

As others said, acupuncture isn't a guaranteed infertility cure... but my RE's office works in conjunction with an acupuncturist who specializes in IF, so there's a strong enough link between acupuncture and IF treatments for my doctor to recommend it. I think I'm going to try it this cycle, too!

ky29 · April 2014

angelina2404 said:

@ky29 - I'm going to be doing the same thing if this cycle doesn't work (taking a break, but doing acupuncture/herbs - mine also recommended 90 days of this). Just wondering if your acupuncturist put your DH on any herbs as well? Mine recommended something for sperm count and motility (the name of it is escaping me now). I obviously won't start this until I get a BFN this month (for some reason, I'm already suspecting this). Would be great to compare notes on the names/types of herbs you are on if you want! Sometimes I feel like I'm just trusting a little blindly what this acupuncturist is saying and making me take.

@angelina2404 - He didn't mention anything (that I remember), but I can ask on Friday if you'd like. I guess I'd be curious. I asked DH if he would take anything, and he said he's already on too many meds (only 3 - multi vit, CoQ10 & zinc) and doesn't want to take anymore. I guess we would swap the last two our for the herbs, but considering he HATES pills and I had to take 9/day, he would probably be against it. But if you want the opinion of another acupuncturist, I can ask.

jencity9 · April 2014

I'd never even thought of or considered acupuncture until I read so much about it on this forum! What is it like? Does it hurt?

ronniesgirl1981 · April 2014

@jencity9 I highly recommend giving it a try. It can get expensive, but I go to community acupuncture and pay $30 a session. I feel really calm and centered when I leave there. The feeling stays with me for several days.

Lindsey7348 · April 2014

WARNING * Pregnancy (and loss) mentioned*

I started going to acupuncture during my last FET cycle. I had not so great embies, but that round took. It was the only one out of 4 cycles (2 fresh IVF's with 2 blasts each were BFN) to work. My acupuncturist is wonderful and schedules it very precisely according to the cycle. He also gave me herbs and asked me to be as honest and specific as possible with every symptom I had so he could RX me the correct herb pertaining to my hormones.

After I got my BFP, he said he wasn't surprised bc I had a slippery pulse (?) and that is a tell tale sign. Also, after confirmation of my BFP, I still went to him and he said my pulse rate indicated a girl and he had rarely been wrong on the gender guesses. I mean I guess you have a 50/50 chance but still ha. That pregnancy ended in a loss at 6 weeks and when i began bleeding he said to come in and he would give me some tea to stop the bleeding so it didn't drag on and it worked.

I was a huge skeptic but now firmly believe in it. The cycles were night and day! I am fascinated by him and chinese medicine. I figure there is a reason China is so overpopulated so why not ?

theholmanherd · April 2014

Sorry to revive a thread, but I just found out my SIL goes to a good acupuncturist in Seattle (about 3 hours away), so I'm going to start going with her. I wonder how often I have to go for it to work for my fertility?

ky29 · April 2014

@angelina2404‌ - So I first asked him about acupuncture for men, and we talked about that for a bit. Then I asked if there were any herbal supps he recommended. He said, "Well, what does he take right now" I told him a multivitamin, coQ10 and zinc. He said, "I recommend conceptionXR for men, but CoQ10 and zinc are main ingredients in it, so he's probably fine with what he's taking, just make sure he keeps taking them." So he didn't recommend anything herbal like me. I take eight treasures, ba zhen tang.

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