Stress and Fertility

While studying acupuncture in Austin, my teacher Dr. Ma said that women who desire and have trouble getting pregnant, get very stressed out. This stress further complicates achieving good results.

How does stress complicate fertility?

For starters, the liver meridian runs through the uterus on both the left and right side. The liver’s job, according to Traditional Chinese Medical theory, is to keep the Qi moving harmoniously around the body. When we feel stress our liver qi gets stuck. We might feel irritable and/ or depressed. Further, when our qi doesn’t move, blood also begins to gets stuck. If the flow of qi and blood is off, no pregnancy will happen. The uterus needs blood to nourish the fetus and stress stops the process before it can really get going.

One of the best ways to control stress is frequent acupuncture treatments, Chinese herbs and addressing lifestyle choices. The acupuncture therapy will help to move the qi and blood , calming the effects of stress on the system. chinese herbs play a key role in continuing the therapy while at home and looking at dietary and activity choices ensure we are addressing all possible areas thus ensuring the best possible outcome.