Preparing for Pregnancy With Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine -

Preparing for Pregnancy: Healthy parents make healthy babies

Perhaps no time during our lives are we more concerned with our optimal health than during and preparing for pregnancy. Many moms and dads are now realizing their preconception health may effect a baby that’s still just a spark in their eyes. Chinese medicine, which includes the 5 branches of acupuncture, nutrition, massage, herbs, and meditation, has a long history of advising for optimal health before conception.

For optimal health preconception, we start with the regularity of a woman’s period. Ideally a woman will have a 3-5 day menstrual cycle every 28-30 days. Irregularities to the menses, including early or late periods, heavy periods, or pain before, during or after the period is viewed as an imbalance in Chinese medicine. These imbalances may delay or make conception difficult. Correcting these imbalances before pregnancy is ideal.

Causes of period problems can be emotional such as:

Worry: Blocks the flow of Qi, causes the blood to stagnate and important meridians for baby making become blocked

Anger: Blocks the free flow of Qi, may cause painful periods

Fear: Causes Qi to sink, may lead to infertility or miscarriage

Joy: Causes Qi to rise, may cause irregularities in period cycle

Chinese medicine is originally from ancient Taoist ideas and uses nature to explain imbalances in the body. We look at pathogenic factors from nature that are not ideal for a woman preparing for pregnancy and may cause problems for the period.

**Causes of period problems can be due to pathogenic factors from nature such as:**

Cold: Coagulates the Qi, causes stagnation of blood, can lead to painful periods or lack of periods

Damp: Affects key meridians involved with conception (Chong Mai and Ren Mai), may cause very light periods, lack of periods or painful periods

Heat: Quickens the blood flow, may cause heavy periods

In our acupuncture practice, we work to eliminate the pathogenic factor using acupuncture, moxibustion, herbs, meditation and nutrition to regulate the menses preconception. Home care is often diet modifications and meditation advise to calm the emotions. Recommendations are always customized to the patient, specific to their imbalance.

There is ancient advice, dating back to the Shang dynasty (1500-1000 BC), about health during the period that is particularly important to follow when preparing for pregnancy. Avoid the following:

Alcohol- this causes the blood to be reckless and irregular
Sex during the menses- may cause stagnation of Qi and blood
Cold and damp exposure to the uterus, this means avoiding swimming and carefully drying off after bathing
Vigorous exercise- may deplete the Qi, making us too weak to conceive

Preparing for pregnancy for 3 months and try implementing acupuncture, meditation and a healthy diet. Avoid negative influences such as smoking, stress, alcohol, drugs, toxic chemicals and minerals, and pollution.

Almost Ready to Try Acupuncture while Preparing for Pregnancy?

Check out our Free Demystifying Acupuncture video to get the low down on how acupuncture works and what a treatment is like with Kerry Boyle, Doctor of Acupuncture. If you are ready, call us to schedule your appointment today or book online here!