At the Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture we recommend the use of Chinese herbal medicine to most of our patients. In conjunction with acupuncture and nutritional therapy, herbal medicines help to regulate the movement of blood in and around the uterus and ovaries. Herbal medicines also help to strengthen and improve the function of organs and glands so that they are able to perform optimally.
By regulating blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, and correcting weaknesses in the organs and glands, herbal medicines form a very effective adjunct to acupuncture treatments, and play an integral role on the journey toward improved fertility outcomes.
If you are engaged in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, your doctor may ask you to stop taking herbal remedies. This is especially true during the ovarian stimulation phase of the IVF cycle. For patients who are doing IVF, we usually administer herbal treatments in the weeks and months leading up to the ovarian stimulation phase of the IVF cycle, and use this time to help to maximize each person’s response to the stimulation medications. Once the stimulation begins, most patients will discontinue the use of herbal medications as per their doctor’s instructions.
The Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture works very closely with many of the area’s leading Reproductive Endocrinologists and Fertility Specialists. We are deeply committed to a harmonious integration of Chinese Medicine with Western fertility treatments, and believe that these two systems of medicine work best when they are used to complement one another. If your doctor recommends that you do not take herbs during certain phases of your fertility care, you do not have to feel conflicted. You will never be forced to choose between the advice of your fertility doctor and the advice of your acupuncturist.