I feel really passionate about the patients that I see suffering with the loss of their baby through miscarriage and particularly those suffering from recurrent miscarriage. It is documented that 1-in-4 women has had at least one miscarriage, which equates to around a quarter of a million women in the UK each year. Recurrent miscarriage is defined as three consecutive miscarriages; this affects approximately 1 in 100 women. Using acupuncture to help women who experience the heartbreak of recurrent miscarriages to conceive, is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
Miscarriage can be a result of genetic, hormonal, immunological, physiological, anatomical or environmental factors. Recurrent miscarriage may also be linked with blood clotting disorders. Acupuncture is believed to help improve blood flow to the uterus and energy to the reproductive organs, balance the body, build up the womb lining, grow follicles and help with implantation. In many cases, this is less about the physical benefit of acupuncture and more to help with the psychological impact of miscarriage.
Most of my patients suffering from miscarriage are not pregnant at the time of our first session. When the patient feels emotionally ready, we will embark on creating a new pregnancy. After considering all the different factors that may have contributed to the miscarriage or recurrent miscarriages, I will then see the patient once a week to administer acupuncture treatment, getting pregnant is usually not the issue in these cases, it is, of course, keeping the pregnancy that seems to be trickier.
Acupuncture has also been found to reduce the risk of miscarriage when undergoing IVF. A study reported in 2006, found that only 8% of mothers who had acupuncture miscarried compared to 20% of mothers who did not receive acupuncture. In fact, acupuncture is now commonly used as part of an holistic approach to complement IVF treatment. Another study carried out in 2002, found that when doctors combined acupuncture and IVF the success rate increased from 26% to 43%.
Miscarriage can be a result of genetic, hormonal, immunological, physiological, anatomical or environmental factors. Recurrent miscarriage may also be linked with blood clotting disorders. Acupuncture is believed to help improve blood flow to the uterus and energy to the reproductive organs, balance the body, build up the womb lining, grow follicles and help with implantation. In many cases, this is less about the physical benefit of acupuncture and more to help with the psychological impact of miscarriage.
Most of my patients suffering from miscarriage are not pregnant at the time of our first session. When the patient feels emotionally ready, we will embark on creating a new pregnancy. After considering all the different factors that may have contributed to the miscarriage or recurrent miscarriages, I will then see the patient once a week to administer acupuncture treatment, getting pregnant is usually not the issue in these cases, it is, of course, keeping the pregnancy that seems to be trickier.
Acupuncture has also been found to reduce the risk of miscarriage when undergoing IVF. A study reported in 2006, found that only 8% of mothers who had acupuncture miscarried compared to 20% of mothers who did not receive acupuncture. In fact, acupuncture is now commonly used as part of an holistic approach to complement IVF treatment. Another study carried out in 2002, found that when doctors combined acupuncture and IVF the success rate increased from 26% to 43%.
