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"I decided to seek acupuncture treatments for fertility after more than 1.5 years of trying to conceive, and only a few months after experiencing an early miscarriage. At 36 years old, I had put off having a child because of the nature of my career in the sciences – meeting and marrying my husband late and circumstances that kept us physically apart during our post-doctoral experiences. I am a natural scientist and a professor that studies genetics of natural populations, and have an understanding of human physiology from my years in school. In addition, much of my immediate and 'in-law' family is related to the medical or scientific fields, so one may think it unusual that someone with a strong 'western science' influence in her life would seek treatment for fertility from eastern medicine.
As I struggled with the long wait to conceive, I found myself reading a lot of both popular and scientific literature about the causes and treatments of infertility, and the physiological 'odds' of conceiving each month. I started to chart my basal body temperature and use ovulation prediction tests (OPT) after trying for about 8 months and the frustration that initial blood and semen analysis failed to identify anything that would be causing us trouble. My charts, the OPT, and ovulation pain told me that I wasn't having any problem ovulating each month, but it did tell me that my luteal phase was short. After talking with my Ob/Gyn that I was concerned that my luteal phase was short, I found myself very frustrated that the months of data that I had collected were passed off as meaningless or insignificant. In multiple cases, I had doctors suggest that my data collection strategies
could be erroneous (i.e. that BBT isn't accurate unless done correctly), and being a very careful collector of data as a scientist, I didn't take too kindly to that! I knew my body better than anyone and I knew the science and physiology behind ovulation and pregnancy, and I continued to read and learn more about fertility issues and treatment.
After more than a year of trying, an HSG, multiple instances of blood workup, and finally an early miscarriage, my doctor prescribed Clomid. I had mixed feelings about playing with my hormones in a generic sort of way – that is, taking Clomid to overstimulate the ovaries to produce eggs, all the while also increasing the production of the hormone progesterone, which maintains a desirable environment in the uterus for implantation and sustaining a pregnancy. Being a geneticist, I wasn't sold on the idea that a single drug in a dose that is much the same for most women taking it, would address my specific problem – whatever that may be – rather than just trying to mask the problem by un-natural hyper-stimulation of the ovaries. We know from the pharmaceutical world that individuals can and do respond to drugs differently as a result of their genetic background, and as a
result of their environment – like diet and exercise. It was at this point that I began reading more about acupuncture, both in the popular and scientific literature. I read that IVF patients experienced greater success in the implantation and survival of transplanted embryos when IVF procedures were followed by acupuncture treatment, and I began looking into whether a fertility acupuncturist was available within a reasonable driving distance. What sold me on trying fertility acupuncture was the fact that there were at least a few fertility specialists in Indiana that were working with a fertility acupuncturist for their patients. The scientific literature suggested that acupuncture helped, and local fertility specialists were using or recommending acupuncture services... at least trying acupuncture couldn't hurt, right?"
– K.N., West Point, IN
10/09
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IRA eNewsletter - October 2009
As many of you are aware, on October 1st we changed the name of our practice from Organic Health Services to Indiana Reproductive Acupuncture.
I am happy to report that our first few weeks have run smoothly as we begin the next chapter in the evolution of our practice. Our name may have changed, but our commitment to our patients has not. We have a renewed passion for the field of fertility and pregnancy wellness, along with a resolve to remain at the top of our field. If you missed our last eNewsletter, and would like to learn more about why we decided to change the name of the practice, read more.
Our testimonial this month comes from a 36 year old patient who is both a scientist and a professor. Aside from her remarkable outcome, we find her story fascinating because of her analytical perspective as a scientist. As with many patients who have not yet tried acupuncture, she was initially "a little skeptical that a few needles could help". Please take a few minutes to read her inspiring story.
Take care and be well,
David Youran
Director and Founder
Men's Biological Clocks are Ticking, Too
Evidence is piling up that men, or at least our reproductive parts, have a "best before" date.
Not only is it harder to create a pregnancy after the age of 35 or 40, researchers are finding that our sperm quality decreases with age. This can result in a higher-than-normal incidence of offspring with schizophrenia, autism and low IQ, as well as an increased chance of miscarriage.
To read more of this article...
From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk
I recently stopped to congratulate a young mother pushing her toddler in a stroller. The woman had been talking to her barely verbal daughter all the way up the block, pointing out things they had passed, asking questions like “What color are those flowers?” and talking about what they would do when they got to the park.
This is a rare occurrence in my Brooklyn neighborhood, I told her. All too often, the mothers and nannies I see are tuned in to their cellphones, BlackBerrys and iPods, not their young children.
To read more of this article...
Efforts to Ban Plastic Chemicals That Threaten Female Fertility
By now you've probably heard of bisphenol A—better known as BPA—a chemical used to make the plastic often used in food containers, water bottles, baby bottles, and plastic toys. And you've probably also heard that the chemical is considered a hormone disruptor, potentially leading to fertility problems when ingested. Indeed, new findings from the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE) in Denmark show that women who work in factories that manufacture plastics containing BPA are 20 percent more likely than other working women to receive fertility treatment.
To read more of this article...
We hope that you are finding our eNewsletters useful. Please feel free to email us a particular subject that you would like to see included!
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