Acupuncture in Gloucestershire - Jamie Gisby

Fertility

Fertility treatment has a long history in Chinese acupuncture. Family is, and was, hugely important to the Chinese who have a strong belief in ancestor worship. You prey to your ancestors for help and support in your daily life, and prey that your after-life will be supported by your descendents.

The desire for family is no less strong in today’s society here in the West. Demands of work, finances and society mean that many couples are attempting to conceive relatively late in life. The emotional impact of fertility problems can be immense. Fertility levels are thought to be declining. Modern diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies; for the first time in history people are over-fed and undernourished. Pollution, lack of exercise, chronic stress all take a toll on our health and fertility.

Acupuncture can help both male and female sub-fertility. I prefer this term as infertility seems very final. Research strongly show that our physiology mirrors our beliefs. Whilst some women can’t achieve a pregnancy without medical help, for many the barriers to conception are much more surmountable.

I have worked in this area for as long as I have been an acupuncturist, now over 20 years, and I am a member of the 'Acupuncture Fertility Network'. It can be the most rewarding, and the most distressing area of practice. Imagine; a young woman with unexplained infertility comes for treatment. She has heard that acupuncture can improve the success rates of IVF (see blog for research details) which she is planning on starting in around 3 months. 6 weeks after commencing acupuncture she is pregnant. An older woman is starting IVF. She has lost both fallopian tubes because of a severe history of endometriosis. This is her third cycle of IVF, and even with the help of acupuncture, the procedure is ineffective.

As in all areas of medicine, acupuncture will bring great success for some, but sadly not all. Success can also be measured in other ways. A recent patient who had a successful IVF cycle told me that the acupuncture had kept her sane, relaxed and balanced.

Whether you are at the start of your journey, and would like to try acupuncture as a stand alone therapy, or whether you are about to start an IVF cycle, I would be happy to chat, by phone or in person, about how acupuncture can help you. Each couples needs are unique and complex so it is much easier to explain in person the extent to which I think acupuncture might be able to help you. I will happily give a free 15 minute consultation. Treatment fees can be reduced if both partners require treatment.

Finally, I have both personal and professional experience of 'infertility', and I have undertaken post-graduate study in this area.