Many people seek acupuncture treatment to enhance their fertility. Alongside the treatment itself there is a lot that can be done to help improve fertility naturally. There are also checks to consider to make sure there isn’t an underlying condition that needs to be looked at.
So what are the most important factors when it comes to boosting fertility?
If you’re reading this post, the chances are you’re female. However fertility is not a female condition, it relates to the male partner too in fact the first question I would ask is, what is the sperm like?
Boosting male fertility
Like the health of an individual, the health of sperm is not static. It fluctuates and is massively impacted by diet, lifestyle, exercise and overall wellbeing. And sperm health has been plummeting in recent years. Many people have been told their sperm is ‘good’ when in fact it is at the bottom of the 'normal' range and this is not optimal for conception. Sperm quality is often overlooked, or looked at later on after the female partner has worked on enhancing her own fertility and still not managed to get pregnant. Since it takes 3 months to make improvements in sperm (as that’s how long the production line is), we could waste valuable time working with a female partner for 3 months, trying to conceive for 3 months, and then finding out there is a sperm issue. We then need to wait another 3 months to improve it wasting a total of nine months. This might be ok if there was no time pressure but that is seldom the case in fertility.
So we look at the sperm first. We need to see the volume, concentration, motility and morphology. This tells us if there is physically enough sperm to have a good chance of reaching the egg, if it is swimming well enough and in the right direction (progressive motility), and whether it is well formed. If it isn’t there could be DNA fragmentation and this needs to be tested for.
The good news is that sperm can be improved by making some simple changes. Sometimes just drinking enough water can have an impact that makes all the difference but we can also look at acupuncture, supplements and herbs. There is a great documentary on channel 4 about male fertility and how it can be improved with diet and lifestyle changes.
Enhancing female fertility
Next we would look at the female partner. There are blood tests that are vital to check if there are any vitamin deficiencies or hormonal imbalances. Iron levels are important and ferritin stores. A full thyroid panel should be done to check everything is functioning well, and we are looking for different levels to what the GP might consider ‘normal’ for example a TSH level of 2.5 or less is optimal when it comes to fertility, but a doctor is likely to be happy with a much higher level of around 4. If levels are off then why? Have thyroid antibodies been checked for and is there an autoimmune condition present like Hashimoto’s? Other conditions like PCO or endometriosis can also have a big impact and could be going undiagnosed.
Are there any vitamin deficiencies?
Hopefully these will have already been checked in blood tests, consider supplements if needed and choose high quality brands rather than buying off the shelf. You get what you pay for when it comes to supplements and cheaper alternatives may be a waste of money if they can’t be absorbed easily by the body, don’t buy them from Boots or Holland and Barrett. For example Pure Encapsulated, and Nutri Advanced are both good brands that can be bought online.
Fertility diet
There is no single ‘diet for fertility’ as it depends on the individual and any underlying health conditions. Broadly speaking it is important to:
Think about eating nutrient dense foods and make sure you’re getting enough of everything rather than counting calories
Eat plenty of real foods: Vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, eggs, poultry and lean meat
Eat the rainbow to ensure diversity and support your microbiome
Cut down on highly processed foods or anything with unrecognisable ingredients as they can cause inflammation
Eat healthy fats as they are needed for hormone production
Eat plenty of protein, ideally at every meal particularly breakfast: Beans, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, edamame, nuts seeds, fish, eggs, meat, dairy
If there is an underlying condition then it may be necessary to eliminate certain foods groups, for example avoiding gluten if you have Hashimoto’s, sugar if you have PCOS, or adopting the autoimmune paleo diet if you have endometriosis.
Fertility and menstrual cycles
Female fertility is closely linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle. To optimise fertility we want a nice regular cycle lasting 26-32 days, with ovulation, fertile mucus and a luteal phase of at least 12 days.
How to time sexual intercourse for conception
The timing of sex is vitally important. It may sound obvious but you need to make sure there is enough sperm available during the fertile window. To ensure this you need to know when your ovulation occurs and for most women it is not at day 14, many ovulate later commonly day 17 or 18. You need to have sex at least once a day for 4 days leading up to ovulation and one day afterwards to give yourself the best chance and this is only possible if you know when you ovulate.
How do you know when you ovulate?
The best way to track ovulation is using BBT charts, and tracking cervical mucus. LH sticks are less reliable and by the time the LH surge happens, you have already missed a couple of days of the fertile window when you could have been having sex. Using BBT charts is a really useful way to get familiar with your cycle. Simply speaking temperatures are lower in the first half (follicular phase) and rise at ovulation, staying higher in the second half (luteal phase). Fertile mucus is present in the days before ovulation and is a slippery consistency similar to egg white. If you wipe front to back before peeing and it feels slippery, this is a sign ovulation is coming.
Most women don’t have a perfect BBT chart like you might see in pictures online and alcohol, exercise and even having an argument can all have an impact on the temperature levels. There are various patterns that can suggest complications like anovulation, PCOS, or luteal phase defect and this information is key to knowing which further tests might be needed.
Reducing stress
Stress has an impact on fertility because it affects the cascade of hormones. And experiencing infertility can cause a lot of stress making it even harder to relax. It is important to protect your own energy and make sure you are making time for self-care. Exercise can be a great way to combat stress, especially practices like yoga which help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathwork is also very useful and easy to do at home, try a simple box breathing practice (breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four, hold for four, repeat), or breathing into the belly for a count of four then breathing out for a count of six.
Make time for activities that bring you joy, whether that be a meal with friends, going to book club, park run, knitting or cooking. They key is to prioritise your own happiness and wellbeing.
A note on AMH levels
Many fertility clinics test AMH levels and use this alone as an indicator of ovarian reserve. This is not accurate as levels can go up and down each month. It can be incredibly disappointing to learn AMH levels are low but this does not mean there is no hope.
Acupuncture and fertility
Acupuncture is an effective and safe way to enhance fertility. Studies have shown it can help to:
Regulate the HPO axis
Increase blood flow to the ovaries
Manage stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system
An acupuncturist who has been trained in fertility will also be able to help with diet and lifestyle advice, interpreting blood tests, sperm results and deciphering whether further tests are needed from a conventional perspective.
Tam offers fertility acupuncture in Brighton & Hove and Islington, London.
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