Did you know that infertility affects – 15%; 3 million couples; 1 in 6 couples in Australia. WOW! That is pretty upsetting to think there are that many people here in Australia alone suffering from fertility problems.
Parturient convallis
One of the major causes of fertility related problems is stress and anxiety. However, if you have been trying to conceive without success, chances are this has become stressful for you. The more you think about it, the more pressure you put on yourself and in turn, the more stressful it is. The more people tell you to relax and not think about it, the more you think about it and end up a stressed-out mess!
The good news is that acupuncture can help. Acupuncture is used to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response. When we are feeling anxious or not coping with stressful situations, our body is in sympathetic dominance which can manifest physically. This causes oxidative and inflammatory micro flora in the uterus further hindering fertility. We also have the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) that controls reactions to stress and regulates body processes, which includes: ovaries, ovulation, fertility and the menstrual cycle. Acupuncture has demonstrated in clinical trials to assist with stress and calming our nervous system, as well as regulating the HPA.
We put a great deal of importance on our treatments at Life Synergy in making you feel relaxed. We believe that is when the best healing takes place.
In our ‘busy’ lives we often forget to take time out for ourselves. If we are wanting to conceive a baby and start a family, then we need to make sure we have the time and space for that baby to come into our world.
Your acupuncture session could be the beginning of you taking time out for yourself and starting to relax. Call us today on (07) 5520 2147 and make an appointment.
Written by Brodie Mitchell, Acupuncturist at Life Synergy
References:
Bauer, M. & Hopper Koppelman, M., 2016. Acupuncture : More then pain management, Available at: www.acupuncturenowfoundation.org.
British Acupuncture Council, 2014. ACUPUNCTURE AND ANXIETY. , (November), pp.1–8.
Chang, R., Chung, P.H. & Rosenwaks, Z., 2002. Role of acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility. Fertility and Sterility, 78(6), pp.1149–1153.
Frederiksen, Y. et al., 2015. Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 5(1), pp.e006592–e006592. Available at: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592.
McChesney, P., 2010. Demographics of infertility. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricsians and Gynocologists, 12(3), pp.14–15. Available at: www.ranzcog.ed.au.
Ried, K. & Stuart, K., 2011. Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine in the management of female infertility: A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 19(6), pp.319–331. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2011.09.003.
#Acupuncture #Pregnancy #Fertility #LifeSynergy #Stress
