Find out if your acupuncturist is a specialist

Find out if your acupuncturist is a specialist in the field of reproductive acupuncture, and how much clinical experience they have treating your specific condition?

Treating infertility and reproductive disorders with Chinese Medicine is a specialization.

To be effective requires three things:

Specialized training and knowledge of reproductive medicine
Focused study of reproductive physiology and endocrinology
Enough clinical experience to be able to recognize all of the patterns that lead to infertility.

None of these requirements are necessarily covered within the framework of an acupuncturist’s general training, so we recommend that you ask a prospective acupuncturist the following questions:

Do you specialize in fertility and reproductive acupuncture?
Are you board certified by the ABORM (American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine)? And how long have you been certified?
What percentage of your patient load is fertility related?
How many fertility-related cases do you treat per year?
Of the cases you have seen, how many were successful?
How many were unsuccessful?
How do you define success in the treatment of infertility?
Do you keep statistics on rates of conception, miscarriage, and live births?
Finally, if you live in an area where there are a lot of acupuncturists or several clinics specializing in reproductive acupuncture, you may ask the very frank question, “Do you consider yourself (or your clinic) to be the most experienced reproductive acupuncturist in this region/city/area?”

Furthermore, when you go to visit an acupuncturist, they should ask extensively about your reproductive history and menstrual cycle. Any acupuncturist who specializes in reproduction and fertility will almost certainly ask you:

How many times have you have been pregnant?
How many times you have had IUI or IVF?
How many miscarriages you have had?
How many days are in your menstrual cycle?
How many days of bleeding do you have during your period?

They will probably want you to check your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) every visit, and will want to track changes in your temperature.

If your acupuncturist does not inquire extensively about your menstrual cycle, reproductive history, and BBT, they are probably not a qualified specialist in reproductive acupuncture.