Let’s say you want to take a driving test so you can get your license. Let’s also say that the driver’s exam has a 40% pass rate. If you could double your odds of passing your driver’s exam by investing in a series of driver’s education courses, would you take the time and spend the money to do it?

Excuse my presumptuousness, but of course you would!

Now let’s drive this metaphor back to Chinese medicine. I’ll preface this by saying that if you’re pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you’ll definitely want to pay attention. If you know someone who fits either of those descriptions, be sure to share this information.

Jorge and I just returned from Vancouver where we attended the annual Integrative Fertility Symposium. We were so excited to reconnect with many of our dear colleagues from school and to learn from experts in Chinese medicine, Naturopathy, Functional Medicine, Urology, and Reproductive medicine.

I attended lectures focused on regulating the menstrual cycle, optimizing endocrine function, treating cysts and fibroids, male reproductive issues, pregnancy concerns, and the latest in IVF research. I was in awe. I was a sponge. I was in my element.

It’s funny how things work: in the months leading up to the conference, and since attending, our clinic has seen an influx of patients who are pregnant or trying to conceive. Call it what you will…the universe, GOD, luck, or coincidence.

What is NOT a coincidence is the fact that Chinese medicine increases a couple’s chances of conceiving, whether naturally or through reproductive procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). This research has proven this time and again. So how is this possible? Among other things, acupuncture reduces stress and increases blood flow to the reproductive organs. The treatments we offer in our clinic are very individualized and often incorporate herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle advice.

Chinese medicine also offers general guidance that’s applicable to anyone who is newly pregnant or trying to become so. I’ve recently been consolidating 13 years of information that I’ve gathered from experts in my field to create easy-to-follow advice for newly pregnant mothers, which you can access by clicking the link below. Don’t forget to share!

When You Become Pregnant (click here)

Remember that driver’s test scenario I mentioned earlier? Well, consider this: a cycle of IVF costs $15,000-$20,000 with a 40% success rate and requires a six-week window of time where the woman can be present for the procedures, tests and diligent monitoring that are required throughout the process. A study from 2015 demonstrated how twelve acupuncture sessions throughout the IVF process can double the odds of live birth rates.

Would you do it? Excuse my presumptuousness, but of course you would!

P.S. The Room8 button was a featured vendor at the Integrative Fertility Symposium and Jorge and Rachel SOLD OUT of all the buttons they brought with them.

In case you didn’t know, Jorge and Rachel are the creators and developers of the Room8 button: a wireless call button designed to ensure patient comfort and enhance practitioner piece-of-mind. If you’re a patient of ours, you’ll now be given one to use as needed during your treatment in our office.

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