Folate, check. Clean eating and exercise, double check. So you’re doing the right things for conception but had no luck? A complementary therapy may just have you swinging from the bedroom to the bassinet.
There’s certainly a lot of advice out there about what you should or shouldn’t be doing when trying for a baby and things get more stressful when, month after month, conception doesn’t occur. If you feel you need a little help, here is a guide to some alternative therapies that are said to enhance your fertility chances.
Yoga
Not just for stretching and a nap at the end of the session, yoga can actually help with fertility and your frame of mind and, when lucky, during pregnancy too.
Specific yoga poses can open and relax muscles in the pelvic region, which can mean greater blood flow to the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
The correct breathing techniques used in yoga can also help with nerves and anxiety, which will see less cortisol (stress) hormones racing around your body and interfering with your reproduction.
Acupuncture
Using very fine needles, a qualified acupuncturist can tap into specific points of the body to stimulate energy pathways that lead to a group of organs or one particular organ.
Carla Chesters, acupuncturist at the Gold Coast’s Xtra Health & Wellness clinic, believes female fertility is a delicate balance of many elements.
“Acupuncture can be used at each stage of a woman’s cycle to ensure healthy eggs for fertilisation and a healthy uterus for implantation,” Ms Chesters said.
“The other added benefit of acupuncture in fertility is addressing the emotional aspect of what my clients are going through. I love that Chinese medicine incorporates the body, mind and spirit. Each is just as important as the other.”
Ms. Chesters recommends women go through a 10-week plan that will allow all stages of a woman’s cycle to become clear and paint a picture unique to that person.
Acupuncture can also be used to treat underlying issues, such as endometriosis, that may be seen initially as a physical condition.
Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies (natural products) can be prescribed to deal with emotional and physical symptoms relating to fertility.
Through the development of a comprehensive plan, homeopathy can help a woman (or couple) address emotional roadblocks, return hormonal balance and a regular cycle, stimulate ovulation or aid the treatment of health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis.
Reiki
This non-contact healing method will see a practitioner use hand movements just above the body to channel positive energy and restore balance to the body’s energy (chi).
Even though you may seek it out specifically for fertility, reiki therapy will focus on overall physical and mental health (including reproductive health).
It is particularly good at addressing the causes and symptoms of stress, which is a major contributor to fertility problems.
More on having a baby
The pros and cons of breastfeeding
How to shift that baby weight
Postnatal care from around the world
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