Q: Can acupuncture boost fertility?

A: The treatment of infertility with acupuncture dates back thousands of years and several studies suggest that this ancient therapy can improve fertility rates and support a woman’s whole body, unlocking unlimited potential for health, healing and childbearing. For instance, a landmark study published in the respected medical journal Fertility & Sterility found that acupuncture dramatically improves the chances of becoming pregnant when used in conjunction with other assisted reproductive techniques.

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical Centre in New York reviewed studies and concluded that acupuncture helps to:

• Increase blood flow to the womb, which improves the chances of an egg implanting in the womb lining
• Reduce anxiety, stress, and the hormones that are secreted during stressful situations that can significantly decrease fertility
• Normalise hormones that regulate ovulation, especially in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
• Positively affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which plays a key role in fertility
• Regulate menstrual cycles

In my opinion, acupuncture provides a safe, effective, drug-free, and natural approach to treating infertility and enjoying a healthy pregnancy. However, if you are having problems getting pregnant I would not recommend it as your only option; especially if you are over the age of 35. In my experience acupuncture works best alongside an integrated approach to fertility including nutrition and conventional medical investigations.

It’s an aspect of our health that most of us take for granted. We assume that the basic laws of nature apply when it comes to making babies: Have sex, get pregnant, right? But in reality, a woman’s reproductive system is extremely sensitive, and any stress — psychological, nutritional, or physical — can throw a body out of whack.

If you’re trying to conceive, these simple health moves can help protect and boost your fertility.

1. Be patient. It takes three months for an egg to develop from a group of follicles to be selected as the egg that is released in a cycle. It also takes three months for a man to generate a completely new batch of sperm. So before you start trying for a baby give yourself and your partner three months to make positive diet and lifestyle changes so that your eggs and sperm are as healthy and fertile as possible. Stop taking the contraceptive pill, or have your IUD removed, at least 3-6 months before you plan to start trying to conceive.
2. Watch your weight: When it comes to fertility, too thin is as bad as too fat. Being excessively underweight or overweight significantly reduces your ability to conceive. Fat is essential to fertility and is necessary in order to ovulate. The advice of fertility experts is to eat healthily and to exercise regularly, and to aim for a body mass index (BMI) – your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres – of between 20 and 25. For exercise, a combination of aerobics and resistance work, such as weight training, is recommended, but don’t over do it as too much exercise can have a negative effect on your fertility.
3. Be aware of possible symptoms of fertility problems – irregular periods, heavy bleeding, unusual pains or discharge – and see your doctor if necessary.
4. Consider your partner’s fertility – is he wearing tight briefs, taking hot baths, a cyclist or does his career impact his fertility, for example is he a cook working near hot ovens as high temperatures can lower fertility. If so, it’s worth him taking action and making healthy lifestyle changes that can boost his own fertility.
5. Health check up. Before you start trying to conceive, you and your partner should book in for a general health check up with a clinic specialising in fertility. Find out if you or your partner are deficient in any minerals and supplement them in for three months if you are. Have a screening for genito-urinary infections if you have had any discharge or recurrent thrush or problems in the past. You can have a test for hormone function and your partner could have a semen analysis if you suspect there might be a problem.
6. You and your baby are what you eat. Good nutrition is the foundation of fertility. For example, the most important mineral for female (as well as male) fertility is zinc, yet according to a 1995 National Food Survey, nine out of 10 people are grossly deficient in this essential mineral. This is because many foods are stripped in the process of being refined, and because of depletion of the soil due to intensive farming. My advice is to buy organic food – because it’s more nutrient rich and because harmful pesticides are eliminated – and to eat a variety of foods, including fish, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to eat fresh fish at least twice a week, and cut down red meat and chicken to only once a week each, or preferably eliminate completely. Eat plenty of fibre as well.
7. Take supplements. Because food isn’t as nutrient rich as it once was, a balanced diet is not enough, and so you will need supplements. For women unable to get a personalised nutritional programme, the following is recommended by experts: 1,000 mg of linseed or fish oil a day; 1,000 mg vitamin C a day and a multivitamin designed for fertility for both you and your partner, that includes 400mcg of folic acid for you to reduce the risk of spina bifida in your baby to be.
8. Include EFA (essential fatty acids) in your diet – eat oily fish and use cold pressed unrefined vegetable and nuts oil to make salad dressings or use organic olive oil, or take EFA supplements.
9. Cut out alcohol to achieve the maximum fertility boosting effect. Avoid caffeine and recreational drugs, and stop smoking – smokers take longer to conceive and can it can push you closer to the menopause faster.
10. Keep your blood sugar level by avoiding sugars, refined and processed food and eating lots of small whole food meals and not leaving more than three hours between meals and snacks. Blood sugar imbalances have been linked to reduced fertility.
11. Don’t douche. This cleansing routine can wipe out normal, protective bacteria in the vagina, shifting the balance and putting you at risk for bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common but often overlooked vaginal infection. A fishy odour and greyish discharge are often the only signs. Untreated BV has been linked to preterm labour and may be associated with higher risk of miscarriage and infertility. See your health-care provider if you notice any new vaginal symptoms (itchiness, burning, unusual discharge, or sores).
12. Get to know your cycle and when you’re ovulating. Make love every other day through your fertile period to maximise your chances. You can determine when you are ovulating by using an ovulation detection kit or by practicing FAM (Fertility Awareness Method). By observing your waking temperature, cervical fluid and cervical position you can pinpoint the days when you are able to conceive.
13. Minimise your exposure to pollution wherever possible. Xenoestrogens are oestrogens found in environmental chemicals and pesticides. Certain foods can have high levels of xenoestrogens, which, if ingested, may disturb your balance of hormones. Imbalanced hormones are often the cause of fertility issues.
14. Herbal medicine can help – agnus castus can be used to treat female hormonal imbalance. Milk thistle boosts liver function and can help fertility by improving your body’s ability to process toxins.
15. Homeopathy and acupuncture treat the body as a whole, and can have some success in treating fertility. Consider other stress reducing alternative therapies that report some success with fertility such as reflexology
16. Take a holiday. Many women fall pregnant on holiday. Why? Because this is when they relax. Stress is an enemy of fertility and anything that relieves it is encouraged. Alternative therapies – such as reflexology, homeopathy, acupuncture and yoga – can help achieve the desired emotional and psychological state.
17. Happy hour. A couple’s most fertile time of day is between 5pm and 7pm. The number and quality of sperm varies throughout the day, peaking in late afternoon with a sperm count that is 35% higher than it is in the morning. Since women are most likely to ovulate between 3 and 7pm, some researchers suggest couples leave work early to increase their chances of baby making.
18. The same things that harms your fertility can harm your partner’s reproductive health too. Cigarettes, alcohol, a poor diet — any of these can contribute to lower sperm production or motility (ability to swim). Studies have also traced chromosomal damage in sperm to cigarette smoke and heavy alcohol intake. Getting enough nutrients every day — particularly vitamins E and C and the mineral selenium — will help him produce healthy sperm. Bear in mind that it takes almost three months for a man to make new sperm, so he needs to think ahead too.
19. Eat dairy food in moderation: In a country where skim-milk lattes and low fat yogurt are the norm, you may be surprised to hear the results of a new study, published in the journal Human Reproduction–eating a little high-fat dairy may increase fertility. Researchers found that women who had one daily serving of full-fat dairy lowered their ovulatory infertility risk by 27 percent. Low-fat dairy foods were linked to an 85 percent higher chance of infertility. Don’t go overboard though, as too much dairy can lead to weight gain, so eat in moderation and make sure you only eat organic dairy produce.
20. Don’t forget to have sex. Many couples get so hung up on boosting their fertility through diet and lifestyle changes they forget the most important ingredient of all – having satisfying and enjoyable sex. Female stimulation is believed to improve the chances of getting pregnant. When a woman experiences an orgasm, she is more likely to get pregnant.

Q: I’m trying for my second baby and my doctor has suggested I lose some of the weight I gained during my last pregnancy first. Is it worth it as I’m going to gain weight anyway when I’m pregnancy?

A: It most certainly is. Mothers who pile on the pounds after their first baby could be putting their next baby at risk. On the other hand, losing too much weight quickly after a pregnancy could be just as dangerous. Any rapid weight changes between pregnancy can increase the risk of babies suffering high blood pressure along with premature or stillbirth.

There is growing evidence that sudden and dramatic changes in weight put a huge strain and can harm babies. One study from Sweden published in 2006 which examined 207, 5000 women between 1992 and 2001 highlighted the dangers of weight gain. It found a rise in a woman’s body mass index (BMI) by just one or two points between her first and second pregnancy increased the risk of diabetes and pre-eclampsia. A second study published last year in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology examined the risks of losing weight. It found that women whose BMI fell by five or more units between pregnancies had a higher risk of premature birth than those whose weight remained stable. Although apparently contradictory these studies show how important it is to attain and maintain a healthy weight before, during and after pregnancy so my advice to you is not to try and diet to lose weight but to make sure you eat healthily and get regular exercise (see my tips on healthy eating and my fertility boosting tips in this issue). That way you’ll be getting all the metabolism (fat burning) benefits of a healthy diet and you’ll also be giving yourself the best possible chance of a healthy pregnancy and birth.

You may also be worried about gaining weight once you are pregnant. Under no circumstances should you diet during pregnancy. If you crash diet you will deprive yourself and the baby of valuable nutrients. Your body may also start to detoxify (losing toxins stored in fat throughout your body) and these toxins will pass though the baby before they are excreted.

If you eat a good, nutritious diet, you will lose any unnecessary weight naturally. The way to lose weight during pregnancy is to eat healthier and any excess weight will come off. A healthy weight gain during pregnancy is considered to be not more than 15 kg (33lb) and also not less than 5kg (11lb). If you find that you are well above or below this range, talk to you doctor.

The most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy weight is to ensure that your blood sugar is balanced by eating regularly. If you miss meals in an attempt to restrict calories, you may end up craving sweets and chocolates because your blood sugar has dropped too low.

Reduce your intake of concentrated fruit juices, even unsweetened brands. These juices may have some nutritional value, but they lack fibre and many women have found that they can cause weight gain because they cause the blood sugar to fluctuate. Juice should always be diluted (half and half) with water.

Eat slowly and chew well. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full, so if you eat slowly you can avoid overeating before you get that message.