Getting started with Chinese medicine for fertility – 5 top TTC tips

Modern Western medicine is such a large part of so many people’s fertility journeys – and for good reason.

But when we’re trying to conceive (TTC) it can also be a good opportunity to explore newer approaches, perspectives, and practices.

What is there to know about traditional Chinese medicine for fertility? It’s a wide field that includes so much – from herbs to acupuncture.

Read on as we sit down with licensed acupuncturist, holistic fertility specialist, and author Denise Wiesner, for a beginner’s guide – including her top Chinese medicine fertility tips for getting starte.

Over to Denise.

The Chinese medicine fertility tips to try

Do any of these sound familiar? You try month after month to conceive but get a negative pregnancy test and the disappointment is affecting all other aspects of your life. You are going through fertility treatments and it isn’t working, so you feel helpless to affect a positive outcome.

Trying to conceive has become a job and is negatively affecting your relationship? Or everyone around you is having babies but you find yourself jealous of them and then beat yourself up because you feel this way?

I know how it is. I tell my patients all the time that, when I was trying to have my second child, I was anxious, unhappy, jealous, and disappointed – and it was bringing me down and wreaking havoc on my marriage.

I was only focused on having a child and forgot to pay attention to all other aspects of my life. That is why I am motivated to help other women and men get their lives balanced again.

Here are my top suggestions from Eastern medicine to help you balance your body, mind and spirit.

1. Pay attention to your digestion

In my book, Conceiving with Love, I speak about the five elements and how to use them to get your body into perfect condition.

We all talk about the perfect fertility diet but, if your digestion is not working, then inflammation will hurt your fertility. The general consensus is to eat organic whole fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains and to cut out refined foods and sugar.

However, some people need to be gluten and dairy free if they can’t process those items.

Everyone should have a bowel movement at least once a day that is well formed. You should not have bloating, constipation or loose stools.

In addition, if your digestion is funky, chances are you might not be in the mood to have sex. Chinese medicine looks at what your stools are like and comes up with a treatment strategy to get your bowels working well.

 2.  Take extra nutrients

It’s not that everyone needs to take all fertility supplements when trying to conceive. I have patients who take everything… and sometimes too much.

There are the usual suspects: CoQ10, royal jelly, Vitamin D, but everyone is unique and needs their own special nutrients.

Some people with endometriosis need certain enzymes to decrease inflammation, whereas people with PCOS might need to take inositol to help their glucose levels.

Work with a qualified health care practitioner such as a fertility acupuncturist or  naturopath to get a personal prescription.

Read more: TRB Founder’s IVF superfoods list

3. Feel into your fertility

When you are fully fertile as a woman, you have desires… you want to make love to your partner, whether you are doing IVF or trying to conceive naturally.

You are not in your ‘thinking’ mind but inhabiting your lovely, goddess body. You open your heart, which connects to your reproductive organs.

At some point, we have to get out of the critical mind and drop into our magical bodies.

4. Look at fear

There is so much fear that is happening on our planet today that can make us drop into the flight/fight/freeze response.

In Chinese medicine, the fear response is associated with the water element and so is reproduction. Fear is normal, but when it overtakes our lives, it becomes an issue.

How do we deal with the unknown? We have to trust the bigger picture. I had a patient who was contemplating doing a frozen embryo transfer but was worried about doing it during COVID.  She called me for my advice. I told her, viruses are always going to be around – life needs to move forward. If we keep waiting for the optimum time, there won’t be one.

I read a book when I was young called, ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’.  It was such a great reminder to begin.

What else can you do? Meditate, exercise, practise self care, and have fun.

 5. Love, love and more love

Love is the healing force. We have to love ourselves, our lives, our partner, our friends and the environment.

I am sure there are more things to love. Love is the force that leads the way. It is what makes babies.

LOVE MORE!

Looking for more Chinese Medicine tips for getting pregnant?

To dig deeper into any of these Chinese Medicine fertility tips, connect with Denise for more.

From her fertility coaching and sex and intimacy coaching to her holistic health and Chinese Medicine expertise, Denise understands that it’s all about your unique journey, and is ready to help support you and your partner.

Read this next: Qigong for fertility – a specialist’s Q&A