Fertility & Prenatal Acupuncture

Struggling with infertility?
Need help managing pregnancy symptoms?
Want assistance preparing your body for birth?
Is it time to induce labor?

Yes, acupuncture can help with all of these things. Our Registered Acupuncturists, Dr. Susan Newman and Dr. Selina Bourgeois, offer treatments with natural kindness and compassion as an ally with you on your fertility and/or pregnancy journey.

Read more below on Fertility Acupuncture, Prenatal Acupuncture,
Acupuncture for Birth Preparation, and Acupuncture for Induction.

At Wellness On 1st, our Registered Massage Therapists also offer Prenatal Massage for expecting mothers. Click the link to learn more!

Fertility Acupuncture

Infertility can be caused by many factors. When you come into our Calgary acupuncture clinic, we will spend the time with you to listen to your story and figure out how we can best treat your body to increase your chances of conceiving. Acupuncture can help with many underlying fertility issues such as: PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), ovarian cysts, endometriosis, low egg quality, and low sperm count.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles, infertility can also occur because of an imbalance and/or blockage in both blood circulation and Qi energy. These blockages can impact circulation to tissues in the reproductive organs, increase inflammation, and hinder reproductive function in both women and men.

Acupuncture has been shown to have great results for infertility in women and men. It is a safe and natural option with little to no side effects.

More specifically, acupuncture can help with fertility by:

Improving circulation and blood flow to the uterus to assist with implantation
Balancing hormones which aids in ovulation
Improving ovarian function
Improving sperm quality
Reducing stress & anxiety
Strengthening the immune system
Reducing the side effects from fertility treatments
Reducing the likelihood of miscarraige

Prenatal Acupuncture

Acupuncture is very safe during pregnancy and can be done in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters.

Prenatal Acupuncture can help:

Manage nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, and heartburn
Prevent constipation and bloating
Regulate emotions (stress/anxiety/depression)
Reduce common pregnancy pains including: back pain, hip pain, pelvic pain, headaches, sciatica, etc.
Assist with managing high blood pressure
Reduce fatigue, increase energy, and get a most restful sleep
Reduce leg and ankle swelling (edema)
Reduce the likelihood of miscarraige
Position the baby in the best position (turn babies from breech or posterior position)

Acupuncture For Birth Preparation

As you get closer to your due date, it is more likely that your doctor will start having the conversation with you about medically induced labor. Many doctors do not allow pregnancies to extend past 40 or 42 weeks, even in an otherwise healthy pregnancy. Having this conversation with your doctor can be stressful. This increase in stress can increase blood pressure, increase muscle tension in your body, and tighten the cervix, which unfortunately makes the need for medically induced labor even more likely.
Beginning at 36 weeks, we can start doing a weekly treatment to gradually ease your body into being ready for labor. During this stage, it has been shown that acupuncture can increase blood flow, encourage cervical ripening and facilitate muscle relaxation.
These weekly birth prep treatments can help decrease the chances of needing medically inductions, and also decrease the need for pain medication during labor.

Acupuncture For Induction

Your due date is here, but your new little bundle of joy hasn’t arrived yet. At this point, we can begin daily or every-other-day acupuncture treatments to encourage labor to begin. There are excellent acupuncture point combinations which stimulate contractions of the uterus (a similar effect of the labor-inducing drug Pitocin.) Labor can often happen within a few days of starting these treatments with the goal of avoiding medical induction methods completely.