Women's Health and Fertility
Chinese Medicine offers a sophisticated and detailed understanding of the energetics of female physiology and the menstrual cycle.
Understanding female physiology
Working with the vitality of the blood, together with regulating the menstrual forces and rhythms alongside addressing any complex female reproductive pathologies underpins the principles of treatment for women.
Women are increasingly choosing natural methods of healthcare for a wide range of conditions such as:
- Menstrual conditions
- Dysmenorrhoea (painful periods)
- PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
- PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome)
- Hormone dysregulation
- Uterine fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Cystitis and UTI’s (urinary tract infections)
- Menopausal symptoms (excessive bleeding, night sweats, hot flushes, etc)
- Thrush
When Chinese Medicine can help women?
Taking care of the whole cycle.
Fertility for Natural Conception
Enhancing fertility is an area in which Chinese Medicine particularly shines. The forces of creation involved in our reproduction are utterly extraordinary: both stunningly complex and breathtakingly brilliant in equal measure.
Pregnancy and
Childbirth
With the triumph and delight in discovering you’ve conceived your precious baby, now the real work of staying pregnant, growing a super healthy baby and staying super healthy yourself is underway.
Natural Induction and Childbirth
During the final weeks of pregnancy, attention turns to readying for labour and childbirth.
Post-Partum Care
Recovering from birth, coping with the physical demands of having a young baby such as broken sleep and breastfeeding are all part of the post-partum phase.
Enhancing Fertility for Natural Conception
The exquisite intelligence at work in our reproductive biology is awe-inspiring and humbling. Working with couples to optimise their fertility and help them realise their hopes for a child is a deep honour.
However, human fertility rates are decreasing with both male and female fertility implicated for a host of reasons, conditions and environmental factors that are contributing to this trend.
Factors contributing to compromised fertility
Women are often starting their families later in life when ovarian health is perhaps past its best, sometimes after years of birth control interventions that can take their toll on reproductive health. Additionally, the nutritional content of food is increasingly compromised by mass agricultural methods whilst modern lifestyles often push us to burn the candle at both ends and the challenge of making ends meet drive many of us to work harder, longer days with less and less restorative R&R. Such factors, together with each person’s own pathological dynamics contribute to undermining folliculogenesis (the natural process of egg recruitment in a woman), sperm viability and reproductive health.
It is now acknowledged that 90% of couples without any discernible fertility problems can take up to 2 years to become pregnant with a mere 18-20% chance of success per cycle. In spite of the global population figures, it would seem that getting pregnant is harder than we think and becoming harder all the time. Understandably, this reality can clash with our expectations and family planning.
So when should a couple take action to seek support?
The NICE guidelines currently recommend that a couple consider fertility investigations after a year of trying if there is no known existing problem such as endometriosis, PCOS, compromised menstrual cycle, low sperm count etc. However, where the woman is over 35 years old or where there is a previous history of fertility issues with either partner, then fertility investigations are advised after 6 months of trying to conceive.
Chinese Medicine for pregnancy
Issues abound that can compromise fertility and natural conception and yet many of these factors can be improved or resolved with Chinese Medicine:
- Advanced maternal age
- Hormonal imbalance associated conditions
- Anovulation, abnormal uterine bleeding, irregular menses
- PCOS, fibroids and polyps
- Luteal phase defect
- Tubal obstruction
- Hostile mucus
- Poor endometrial quality
- Recurrent miscarriage
- Unexplained infertility
Pregnancy and Childbirth
Historically, Chinese Medicine held particular reverence for the gestational process. It was considered vital that mothers-to-be were supported in having calm, relaxing and undemanding environments in which to grow their child. This might seem a far-cry these days from the reality that many mothers live extremely demanding lives whilst they are gestating, often working right up to 38 weeks.
Energetic and physical development
With Chinese Medicine, we can help bridge the gap between the profound energetics of the gestational process for both mother and baby and the reality of our 21st century lifestyle and needs. Chinese Medicine maps the energetic and physical development of the growing foetus and offers unique insights and treatment methods for supporting and enhancing this extraordinary miracle. Having regular acupuncture, moxibustion and in some cases Chinese Herbal Medicine dovetails seamlessly with regular obstetric services and check-ups.
Multifaceted pregnancy care
- Preventing first semester miscarriage
- Threatened miscarriage
- Alleviating morning sickness
- Foetal malnourishment
- Gestational diabetes
- Supporting a happy, healthy, vitalised pregnancy
- Turning a breech presentation baby
- Preparation for labour and childbirth
Natural Induction and Childbirth
For first time mothers this can be both exciting and daunting in equal measure. From week 38 we gently start the process of readying you on every level. Typically this will involve starting with 1 treatment in week 38 and 2 treatments per week thereafter until the birth. Generally this will successfully support the transition to labour initiating smoothly.
Birth-preparation treatments
Partners are encouraged to come to one of these birth-preparation treatments to learn a simple of sequence of acupressure points that they can continue to practice at home on their blooming mother-to-be, both to support her readiness for labour and for offering some pain relief and calm during labour itself.
Breech presentation
Should a baby be presenting in a breech position in the final weeks of pregnancy, acupuncture and moxibustion from week 36 can offer a remarkably effective solution in many cases.
Post-Partum Care
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can help women regain their strength and vitality whilst attending to post-partum issues such as insufficient lactation, traumatic birth experience, blood-loss from childbirth or post-natal depression.
- Insufficient lactation
- Traumatic birth experience
- Blood-loss from childbirth
- Post-natal depression
How does your health consultation happen?
Personalised and confidential consultation for every women.
