Case Study - Fertility Support for a Second Child

One of the most gratifying aspects of our work is helping women expand and complete their families. Secondary infertility can be a surprising heartache. Having gotten pregnant easily the first or second time, many women expect that future pregnancies will come quickly and easily.

However, our health changes between the first and second (or third, or fourth) pregnancy. Age is a factor but so are stress, exhaustion, and recovery from the postpartum period even some years later.

A wonderful example of the support of Chinese medicine for a second child comes in the case of Diane. A 38-year-old professional with a three-year-old child, Diane and her husband had been trying to conceive for more than 18 months. They were mystified, as their first pregnancy happened just weeks after removing an IUD, and the pregnancy was so easy that she didn’t even realize she was pregnant for the first two months.

There was a wrinkle in this case, as Diane had some uterine scarring from a procedure after her three-year-old was born. After a minor surgery to remove excess scar tissue her OB/GYN assured her that the scarring was minimal. The doctors suggested that a thin uterine lining might be what was causing fertility struggles.

While Diane overall felt healthy, she admitted to being tired while dealing with her toddler’s sleep struggles. Her pulse told a similar story — she was depleted.

Initially we worked together for four sessions. We coached Diane on sharing the burden of managing her toddler’s nightly wakes with her husband. We recommended less intense exercise and more focus on nutritious regular meals. We used both acupuncture and moxibustion to fortify her energy and help to relieve some stress.

Over these sessions Diane’s pulse became noticeably stronger and her fatigue lessened. Diane was pursuing IVF, had had an initial consult at a local clinic, and was due to begin the IVF process within about a month.

On the fifth session, Diane surprised us by announcing she was pregnant! We were thrilled at the news and switched our treatments to focus on supporting the pregnancy and reducing nausea. Diane worked with us throughout the first trimester to gain more energy, reduce nausea, and support the pregnancy overall.

While not all cases of secondary infertility are this easy to solve, it’s a testament to the body’s innate healing powers that gentle acupuncture and simple modifications in lifestyle at home can make such a noticeable difference.

For some women struggling to conceive, just the acupuncture is the trick. For others it’s getting the insight from a Chinese medicine practitioner about what their pulse tells about their health — whether they need to manage stress better, exercise less, focus more on nutrition, or pursue other healing avenues. Often a combination of acupuncture, personal changes to support healing, and let’s face it, some luck, create the right environment for that desperately wanted child to come through.