Oakland, CA – Increasing Success with Egg Freezing Using Acupuncture & Herbs

Freezing your eggs to preserve fertility is a HUGE step. Not only is it expensive and highly emotional, but it can be a lengthy process depending on how many eggs you’d like to preserve and how many rounds of egg retrievals you need to do. For your sanity and your wallet you’ll want to do everything you can to make sure each egg retrieval is an absolute success.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are both known to be helpful for reproductive health and having the right diet, supplements, and lifestyle can really improve your odds of having plentiful high quality eggs at each egg retrieval.

So, how and where do you start?

If possible, begin working with a fertility-focused acupuncturist at least three months before your first planned egg retrieval. The three months prior to egg retrieval are a CRUCIAL developmental window for the eggs, as the immature eggs spend three months maturing and readying for release. Your nutritional state as well as nervous system and mental state during this time period can affect the quality of the maturing eggs — leading to higher success with the egg retrievals.

Your acupuncturist will ask you about your menstrual cycles, diet, sleep, stress, and other health information to understand how your body is operating. Then she’ll take your pulse to understand how your body is operating in terms of hormonal health, digestion, stress levels, and other parameters. Your acupuncturist will then make a treatment plan to bring you to optimal health in time for the egg retrieval.

Your acupuncturist will also likely prescribe Chinese herbs to support your optimal health. There are many Chinese herbal formulas designed for reproductive health and the proper formula can help your body prepare for the hormonal stimulation and egg retrieval process.

Lastly, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking the appropriate fertility-supporting supplements including the right doses of CoQ-10, Vitamin D, and prenatal multivitamin, among potentially other supplements. Your diet should be primarily focused on healthy proteins and fats, vegetables, fruits, and supported by whole grains. You should be consuming blood-sugar-healthy meals and snacks, meaning that they are well balanced in order to reduce spikes of blood sugar (which negatively impact fertility). If possible during these 3+ months your life should be adjusted to allow time and space for daily joy, human connection, meditation, appropriate movement, and a release from overwork.

If your current life picture looks pretty far from what I’ve described in the paragraph above you may want to take a little extra time to prepare your body for egg retrievals — knowing that an extra handful of months at the front may gain you improved egg quality and quantity and save you time in the long run.

If you’d like to be supported in freezing your eggs by an acupuncturist who has personal been through egg freezing, contact me today to discuss your health. I look forward to working with you!