Acupuncture

[AshleyD121887]

I have been recently studying up on acupuncture and was wondering if anyone has had success with it??
I'm currently not working due to a surgery and a move so my insurance is no longer. I'm looking for alternative therapies until I can get back on the wagon and into the Dr.'s office..!! (Although I was curious about it before).
So, if you've tried it.. Let me know what results (IF ANY). I'm looking to regulate my cycle and of course BFP. I only have AF MAYBE 2-3 times a year and I don't really know if you can call it AF cause it's only spotting on one trip to the restroom so I'd settle for a regular cycle alone!

Thanks for your help ladies!

[MrsSmith]

Well, I am a believer! I think it made/makes a difference for me. My acu told me that he can't help regulate cycles, although I have read elsewhere that it can, so I don't know about that. I am regulated on met. I am on 1500 mg though. Maybe an increase in your dose would help.

I do believe the acu helped me ovulate, which I did on several cycles based on my temps and OPKs. We also have a daughter through IVF and I did acu with the IVF cycle. Due to our age (39), we are preparing to do IVF again. We tried for several months with the acu alone but no luck. HOwever, we also had some scheduling issues due to my husband's work/travel schedule. Anyway, I will do acu again with this IVF cycle.

In short, I believe it helped me. You might want to check out the book The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. It's all about Chinese medicine/fertility and explains a lot about acu.

Oh, and one other thought - my acu also recommends certain lifestyle changes (mostly dietary) in conjuction with the acu. Chinese medicine is holistic and also works slowly. Your acu may also prescribe herbs. I do not take them though because I am on medication for epilepsy and I do not want anything to interfere with that. Also I would recommend an acu that specializes or at least is very knowlegable about fertility issues.

[skusisto]

I did acupuncture for a period of about 9 months before conceiving... I wasn't doing the acupuncture when I conceived, but I definitely think it helped make my body healthier.

I tried 2 different practitioners... one that was just getting started treating fertility and using his knowledge combined with the book that MrsSmith referenced. At the time, I'd read the book, so thought that would be good. In the end, I was not impressed though (this was before the 9 month period I described above). I was then referred to another lady who had been successful in helping others get pregnant. I had just finished an injectible cycle that got cancelled due to over-response, so I was pretty freaked out by that process and needed to get my head straight as well as my body. It REALLY helped me to feel good about myself emotionally as well as having more energy. During the 9 months, I had 2 periods just with her herbs and acupunture (in 6 months of treatment)... not sure if I ovulated or not (the bbt charts said I did, but the temp shift was VERY weak...) I also tried it in combo with the meds for 3 months (1st month ovulated with clomid, 2nd month didn't ovulate with same dose of clomid... which is similar to my response on clomid without acupuncture...) then did an injectibles cycle and had 1 good follicle but did not conceive. Next cycle I did injectibles without acupunture, had 3 follicles and conceived my twins. That's my story. Obviously, it didn't work by itself in 6 months... but did it help me in the end...??? I really did think it made me feel better though. My allergies were better... I had more energy... and I felt less "broken" from the PCOS.

Hope that helps. PS... it's not cheap! I went once a week at $100 per visit and then spent another $40 on herbs about every other week... it would definitely be cheaper just to call for a script for provera to induce a period every 3 months (which you should do anyway! Not having a period for longer periods can lead to risks of other health issues like endometriosis and uterine cancer...)

[AshleyD121887]

Thanks for your responses! It sounds like it's worth a shot. I know that there are many health risks when you don't have a healthy period, and I've already had colposcopys done because I was showing signs of HGSIL and cervical dysplasia. My grandmother died of uterine and ovarian cancer, and a few other cancers have taken other family members. Obviously cancer runs deep in my family so of course I'm worried. Like I said, I don't have medical insurance because I lost my job due to an extended recovery from surgery. So.. Unfortunately I can't get the injections AND I can't get my metformin anymore either. Since I posted, I have started on the pill though because luckily you can get that without health insurance as long as you say that it's because you don't want to get pregnant (they won't help you if you say it's because you havent had a period in years and are worried for your health!). I don't really have any other options as far as treatment.. But, I'm hoping to stay on that for 6 months and see if I keep on having periods and *crossed fingers* start ovulating. I think at that point I should know whether or not to continue with the plans for accupuncture.
Thanks again for your responses. It's so hard to tell if the accupuncture is what gave the right push or not. So many women have good experiences but there are a lot that say they just don't know if it was worth it, aside from making them feel better. I do know that "broken" feeling very well though and 100/wk doesn't seem too bad to help that go away. As a woman who wants children badly, it's hard to accept that you can't do the one thing that your entire body was made to do.