Acupuncture and Chinese Remedies for PCOS

Last night I went to my first acupuncture appointment - recommended by a friend of mine who went there to fix a hormone problem and was pregnant 2 weeks later! Anyway, I just thought I'd share some of the things he told me :)

When I told him I had PCOS and we had been TTC for 2 1/2 years, he said that in his experience, acupuncture is very successful. He had one particular client who had PCOS so badly that she was told to adopt because she would never conceive or carry. Within a month of starting acupuncture, she got pregnant, she carried her baby to full term and is now pregnant with her second!

He said to make sure DH isn't drinking any 'diet' soft drinks - DC particularly is used in some parts of India as a contraceptive, as the artifical sweetener severely reduces sperm production!

He also recommended eating (or juicing and drinking) an entire carrot every day before breakfast - to be honest I didn't ask why because I was so overwhelmed with everything, but I am now looking it up and will get back to you :)

I just wanted to share this with everyone - I guess only time will tell if it works!!

I was looking up information on it when I came across this site. I've also got PCOS and have been thinking about doing acupuncture. Keep us posted on how things go! I'm looking around right now to see where I can find one around my city. :)

I can attest to the success of acupuncture with PCOS. It worked pretty well - my cycles were still a little irregular but at least I got them I fell pregnant with DS#2 on the 3rd cycle - which was really only our first real good attempt ;);).

It took us 11 months to concieve DS#1 without acupuncture.

Not sure about the carrots - I didn't try anything else - the acupuncture worked on its own.

Good luck.
TICKLISH

I am another acupuncture success - I started acupuncture in late November/early December and got a BFP in January.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in October 2008 so a very quick turn around for me. I wish you all every success with acupuncture and TTC with PCOS

Interesting stories... I have been having accupuncture for nearly 2 months (and a lot of $$$) now after stopping the pill four months ago and still not having my period. I have had no improvements at all with accupuncture and chinese herbs. I have now seen a gyno who is doing another round of blood tests - first lot were all clear. I am back to see him on the 26th of feb which is when he will perscribe provera and clomid.

Thanks for your replies girls :)

I went to my second appointment on Tuesday, and I have another one on Thursday. Tony says after next week we should be able to go down to one visit a week, we're just building momentum at the moment.

One thing I've found, apart from sleeping better, is that I'm bleeding an awful lot. I'm gonna ask him about it tomorrow, but the powder he gave me, Wu Jin Wan, is to help with periods, so I guess its cleaning me out. The weird thing is there's almost NO pain associated with this 'period', which is HUGE for me as I usually hafta take the week off!

hi girls,

i am from melbourne and trying to look for a good acunpunturist with good success stories in bringing AF back to normal. i have mild PCOS and irregular period.
i have seen one for two months but with no success.
i want to give acupunture another go. Can someone introduce a good one to me in Melbounre ?

thanks.

Im having my first accupunture appointment on wednesday.... i love reading the success stories! keep em coming! :)

More success from me!

Firstly, Berenice, I am very excited for you that you have found an acupuncturist and have already felt some benefits from the treatment. I read of the obnoxious doc in your other threads and am so glad you have found a health professional who is treating you as a person not in a superficial way.

I was drawn to your thread this time as I wanted to tell you about a good friend of mine who was diagnosed with PCOS (about 10 years ago now). She saw a Chinese Doc about it and after a number of treatments, all gone. When she went back to her GP he wouldn't believe it and ordered a fresh round of scans, sure enough, no evidence of PCOS. He still refused to believe she had ever had it :roll eyes: So good news on that front! :D

For me, I never suffered PCOS but did have trouble conceiving my second baby after accidently falling pg with my first. I saw a woman in Melbourne and she was fantastic. According to my history she worked on a few different things and I must say I felt better for it straight away. I slept better, had more energy and was eating better as sugar cravings decreased. I started seeing her when I had my period and would you believe - fell pg that cycle after 9 months of concerted attempts. It was really great!

I think that what you described about bleeding heavily sounds good, clearing out your system. It is really wonderful when the body works as it is supposed to with a little gentle nudge here and there with a little needle ;). I hope it continues to work well for you and surprise you!

I also sent my Auntie to see a Chinese doc when she was going through menopause and could no longer take HRT due to a brush with breast cancer. He managed to reduce her hot flushes really effectively so she could go back to having a 'reasonably normal' life! And I sent a friend with terrible morning sickness to my Chinese doc and she said that during the treatment her nausea reduced and she was filled with an overwhelming desire to eat for the first time in months! She ran out and ate a 3 course meal straight away and enjoyed every moment of it!

iibb: I can recommend someone in Kensington in Melbourne. I saw a lovely lady Stella Pericleous. She runs the Metro Chinese Medicine Clinic and works from 10-6/7 most days. Apart from the success I had with her, I found her to be really calm, lovely and to explain things really well. She was as genuinely excited as I was when I got the BFP!

Otherwise I can recommend Vlado Krstevski. I believe he is in Northcote, (Westgarth Chinese Medicine Centre) he was a teacher of Stella's (and of me in a different course - long story!) And he is the one who sorted out my Aunt's hormone problems.

If Kensington doesn't work for you location wise, maybe post a question in another thread asking for recommendations - it is always better to see someone who comes recommended. Good luck!

:dance: Yay to all the other women who have had success with acupuncture and :crossfingers: for you [M]umma[M]ia! Hope you enjoy your treatment and experience on Wednesday. I loved the opportunity to lie down and rest for a bit!

ReggieB I am sorry you had no luck so far... that must be really frustrating. I hope that your next step reveals the answers you need to get everything sorted out. :hug:

its so great that i found this thread!!

I had my first accupunsture this morning and started taking herbal tablets last night. I am havinga hard time beliving that sticking me with hurty needles and making me take gross tablets is going to help me, so reading this thread has been a bit of much needed encouragemnt

I have had PCOS all my life. I am now on my 3rd cycle of Clomid and on my 4th cycle of TCM (traditional chinese medicine) and acupuncture.

It is hard to tell what is responsible for which improvements. All I know is that since starting both Clomid and TCM/acup., I have had one perfect cycle where my temps were text book perfect and my symptoms and ovulation timing were all completely perfect. I've never had that before in my entire life. I also have lost some excess weight around my abdomen, something I haven't been able to do before, and I have adapted to Clomid with little to no difficulties or side effects. I'm sensitive to everything, and if there's a side effect to something I will usually get it. I also ovulated on my first round of minimal dose Clomid, which my FS thought was pretty amazing (I had been on TCM/acup. for 2 cycles by then).

The first two cycles on TCM and acupuncture seemed to be all about 'resetting' my bodily functions - perfecting my digestion, getting the right blood flow from AF at the start of each cycle, clearing my mind and body of negative energies. I find it very difficult to stick to the diet they gave me but I find that when I do stick to it I feel so much better. I have to take the most horrendous-tasting herbs - they really taste foul - but it's full of nutrients and special properties that are tailored to suit certain times in my cycles. I am not sure if they are helping because their effects are not obvious, so this is something to think about if you're considering TCM, as the herbs are very expensive.

The effects of acupuncture on the other hand are more obvious. I feel amazing in the hours and days after my acupuncture. Following my first few rounds of acupuncture, my body seemed to "settle" down. My acupuncturist Camilla told me my body was in a state of distress when I came to her - there were so many things wrong that are now not bothering me anymore. One interesting thing is that I've always had poor circulation in my legs - I'm 25, not overweight or diabetic, so I was never able to understand why I constantly bruised easily and struggled with pins and needles and unsightly veins. Ever since I started acupuncture my legs are free of nasty bruising and I've noticed no new eruptions of spider veins or varicose veins. Apparently poor circulation is linked to a distressed spleen, and apparently mine was in a pretty bad state when I started TCM/acup.

I think TCM/acup. work well when used in conjunction with modern medicine, and if you can afford it it's well worth trying, particularly if you've TTC for a long time like me. The guidance you receive on fertility and timing of intercourse is great for peace of mind, and extra information you get on food and toxins found in everyday consumables is valuable, and at the very least acupuncture is an incredibly relaxing, peaceful experience. I would have acupuncture every week, regardless if I was TTC or not.

The other thing worth mentioning is that my FS actually wanted me to take acupuncture because his clinic believes that acupuncture seems to have the single biggest affect on the success of women trying to conceive through IVF.

Hope this helps those of you wondering whether to try it out.

Baby dust to all xox

Just subscribing because I'm interested in this topic. I have PCOS too & am yet to have a period since coming off the pill 2 months ago. I don't want it to take so long this time around.

Does anyone know acupuncturists on the Sunshine Coast?

Hi,

Just letting you girls know that I have got my first BFP in over 3 years. 43 cycles and FINALLY my first BFP. I fully believe in my heart of hearts the acupuncture is the major contributor. Ever since I sarted the acupuncure my cycles improved and improved. So if you've been trying for a while and feel you need to change tactics, try supplementing whatever you're doing with Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.

Good luck!

I'm glad I found this. I've got PCOS and have been ttc with assistance for over two years. Just a couple of questions. Does it hurt? What is the average cost of a session? And does see an acupunctuarist in Perth or can you reccomend one in Perth?

Congratulations on your BFP mummyintraining!:clap:
Goodluck to everyone ttc hope your BFP is not too far away!

Congrats mummyintraining :D It is great to hear success stories.

Hi Nae10,

The pain level with acupuncture depends on your acupuncturist. For example my usual acupuncturist in Brissy is quite gentle and other than a firm prod (not sharp and definitely not painful) I didn't feel a thing when she inserted the needles.

The needles are meant to delve beneath the skin to special points that when stimulated improve the flow of your energy or Qi (chee), which can become blocked due to factors like stress, poor diet, disease, infection, or a hormone disorder like PCOS. Having your Qi blocked or not flowing properly is a bit like being severely constipated :redface: - it makes you uncomfortable and all sorts of things that need to flow just can't, and your body stops working properly.

Recently my acupuncturist went on a holiday, so I had a new acupuncturist who I'll call Sara. Sara was excellent, but her 'needlework' as I call it was somewhat more...stimulating. She delved quite deeply with the needles, rotating them and gently moving them until she got a jerk or a verbal confirmation from me that the nerve she was trying to stimulate was being well and truly stimulated! This was not painful, but I found it quite uncomfortable - a bit like a localised, targeted electric shock but without the pain. The discomfort subsided straight away though, and I felt a huge difference between Sara's method and my usual acu's. If I had to say it, I would say Sara's method felt more immediately beneficial, and it was after my treatment with her that I got my BFP.

So the bottom line is there should not be any pain at all, but there might be some discomfort while the acupuncturist gets just the right amount of stimulation going. This passes in seconds though, and then you're left to blissfully drop off to sleep for half an hour or so, and feel amazing when you wake up.

Hope this helps ;) - I've never been to Perth so sorry I can't recommend anything, but the best place to get a referral for a good acupuncturist is from a fertility clinic that conducts IVF, as good fertility clinics encourage patients to undertake acupuncture to support IVF treatment - acu's been clinically proven to increase the chances of success.

:)

PS - once the needles are in there is zero pain - you usually can't even feel the needles unless you move.

I'm also subscribing to this thread (thanks Berenice for starting it). I was just today diagnosed with PCOS and am waiting for my next AF to start clomid. Though I am going to ring tomorrow to make an appointment for AC.

Mummyintraining - Congratulations on your BFP, what wonderful news.

Mummamia - Hey mate.... Looks like we can share the journey again hey

Thanks mummyintraining that was really helpful. I will ask at my next appointment where to go for a good acupuncturist.

Thanks again!:)

Hi all,
I've just read about this and I am really interested in trying accupuncture now as sometimes the doctors can not help with anything that is not natural.

I am also considering taking some herbal medication to increase my AF's to once a month like normal women. Instead of taking noristherone once every 3months for a bleed. Maybe by taking herbal medication I will be able lose excess weight making it easier for me TTC.

Has anyone lost weight just purely because of herbal remedies or accupuncture.
I know where I live accupunture is around £20-£30 a session so I could maye afford oit once or twice a month without it affecting my pocket. :o

I don't have PCOS but I did ask my acupuncturist about it on Sat for a friend! He said acupuncture helps but it is the chinese herbs that he mixes up individulally for the client that is most effective (note that some therapists use premixed herbs and everyone has symptoms for different reasons, ie many people have PCOS but the would have formed it from different problems, if that makes sense).

The juicing is great and will mainly help your liver and kidneys and just be good for you! If you are going to keep juicing you may as well add some spinach lemon juice and pineapple juice and ginger which are also great for cycst.

I'd like to add that Ihad 2 miscarriages (possibly 3) last year and was also pregnant 2 weeks after starting to see the acupuncturist and taking the herbs he gave me. He said that my liver was the main problem as it was blocking the energy getting down to my uterus. Now I'm 13 week 1 day and am so excited! Goodluck :p

Hello - after reading the posts accupuncture interests me although im really really scared of needles and they could make me pass out. I know its mostly "in my mind" but im not a needly person.

Regarding infertility underactive thyroid and suspected pcos can anyone tell me, exactly where do they *stick the needles* into you?
*shuddering*
I am in QLD can anyone give me a rough guess of the pricing?

:

---

I don't have PCOS but I did ask my acupuncturist about it on Sat for a friend! He said acupuncture helps but it is the chinese herbs that he mixes up individulally for the client that is most effective (note that some therapists use premixed herbs and everyone has symptoms for different reasons, ie many people have PCOS but the would have formed it from different problems, if that makes sense).

The juicing is great and will mainly help your liver and kidneys and just be good for you! If you are going to keep juicing you may as well add some spinach lemon juice and pineapple juice and ginger which are also great for cycst.

I'd like to add that Ihad 2 miscarriages (possibly 3) last year and was also pregnant 2 weeks after starting to see the acupuncturist and taking the herbs he gave me. He said that my liver was the main problem as it was blocking the energy getting down to my uterus. Now I'm 13 week 1 day and am so excited! Goodluck :p

---

I get what you're saying about everyone who has PCOS it would have came from other problems i.e so not everybgody would be the same. I am seriously thinking about doing this because it will be natural and I have heard rave reviews about this and how it has worked for so many people. I have not tried much as I only found out last year I had this condition so this site has helped me to think about other ways of helping my PCOS without using medication prescribed by the doctor. And i wish you the best of look with your pregnancy :dance:

Mummyintraining- congrats!
Which acu clinic in Brissy do you go to? I go to one in Ashgrove and and I think one of the girls is called Camilla. Just wondering if it's the same one you went to? I'm using it to accompany IVF treatment. I've been pretty happy with them so far although it's hard to tell differences when I'm taking so many different drugs etc.

Hi i am a long time reader of these threads but first time writer.. your entries have seriously given me hope of conceiving.. here is my story so far...

I stopped my BC back in May 2009 as my husband and I were keen to start a family, I was on the pill 12 years, I am 28, healthy , eat well and exercise regularily. It took 11 months for my first period to return. I was on Diane35. First round of blood tests Sept 09 - all homrone levels were low and my doctor was not concerned. She expressed it could take 6-12 months for my period to kick back.

After my second round of blood tests in March 09 my DR diagnosed me with PCOS and refered me to a gyno. But I wasnt ready to start more synthetic hormones, as i had the worst post- pill withdrawl symtoms during the first 4-5 months after stopping BC.

I read that Accupuncture can help with hormone imbalances and i started weekly acupuncture sessions along with Chinese medicine / herbs in Feb 2010. I am still amazed at how acupuncture worked for me and its great to hear the success stories. I got my first period April 2010 - 6 weeks after starting accpuncture. I am now at day 55 waiting for my period to return. I am still doing my weekly accupuncture session and taking my herbs... I was just hoping that everything would kick back naturally, but now i seriously considerly Clomid .

I have just had my third round of blood tests. Get my results tomororw..

This thread has seriously given me hope that maybe accpuncture and clomid can work together. Hopefully my accupuncturist is happy to work with Clomid.

Please keep the success stories coming....

D781- I love my acupuncture! I have been going since Jan when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I had lap surgery soon after and found endo and blocked tubes so IVF was our really only option. I have kept up my weekly acupuncture and drinking their teas all throughout and had hardly any side effects from the IVF meds. My acupuncturist works along side fertility treatments and would ask in depth q's about what meds I was on etc and change her routine accordingly. As you can see from my signature (and last time I wrote, I had no idea I was pregnant!) My IVF was successful. I am still seeing my acupuncturist and my morning sickness etc has been minimal. I think she's amazing!!!

Hi Glenny_C

Congratulations!! Its great to hear successful stories.

I will definatley keep up my accpuncture treatments. They make me a better person. :D:D

I am off to the Gyno next week to talk about some fertility options. My recent blood tests did not confirm or deny that i have PCOS. The pathology did not complete the required test (even though my doctor as for it). A bit annoying but i am happy to visit a specialist to talk through some options.

:)

Just subscribing. (Very new to all this)
I have been TTC for just over 12 months, and have had a few tests.. I have not yet been diganosed with PCOS but I have a specialist appointment on the 26th July, which will confirm weather or not that is what is wrong. But the accupuncture stuff interests me a lot.. So I might have a look into it... :)

Thanks everyone- this was just the forum I needed. I have been on disgusting Chinese herbs for 2 cycles now (for endo and TTC) and as I discovered this morning- no luck this month :(
I am having my first acupuncture session on Friday so hopefully that combined with the herbs will make a difference.
It's great to read everyone else's stories- we will all get there in the end :)

Hi everyone, it’s been a while since my last thread and I thought i would update you all with how i have been progressing

I ended up visiting my gyno back in early June to discuss fertility options further. Frustrated and feeling like i was going around in circles, i was ready to take that next step.

My blood tests again confirmed PCOS due to an elevated hormone called androsterone (or something very similar to that name.) My Gyno prescribed provera to start a menstruation and then wrote instructions on how to take clomid.. Off i trot to have a last minute blood test to confirm i was not pregnant - results negative - and i started the provera the next day. I was told that after 5 days my period should start.

I received an acupuncture treatment 2 days before my Gyno appointment. I thought i should probably keep up my accup treatments as its always such a positive experience, almost like a counselling session with my accpuncturist - she is awesome.

So after day 5 - no period. I was so deflated thinking now the provera won’t even kick start my menstruation. I was experiencing all the pre-menstruation symptoms but no menstruation. By the time the weekend came around I decided to do a home pregnancy test as I just wasn’t feeling myself. I nearly feel over - it gave a positive reading. I did the other 2 tests - all positve. jumped on Google to search whether/ or if Provera could give false readings (don’t you just love the internet) and confirmed it doesn’t.

I called my Gyno to book an appointment. We had more blood tests which confirmed very very early pregnancy. I went back 3 weeks later to see if they could confirm how far along i was - they estimated 7 weeks. I looked back through my diary as my acupuncturist had me tracking all my stats and my Body temp on a chart, and low and behold I must have ovulated after my acupuncture treatment just before i started provera and we conceived. At the time I did not notice my Body temp reading had dropped then spiked. The blood test was too early to pick up any HCG readings.

I am now nearly 11 weeks pregnant. I use to read these types of thread messages so often but never thought it would happen like this for us. The universe definitely has a funny way of working. I still wonder if I didn’t visit my gyno and start the provera whether the pregnancy would have stuck.. either way I feel the acupuncture definitely stirred something up, and we have been very very lucky.

Good luck to everyone. Sending lots of positive energy.