Acupuncture has a long history in treating fertility dating back to the 7th century. More recently, it is being used to enhance the success rates of assisted conception techniques such as IVF and IUI.

Improving your health before you conceive can increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and baby; think of it as preparing the ground before planting the seed – the condition of the soil determines whether the seed will germinate and how well it will grow.

In Traditional East Asian Medicine, when a female’s period is on time, is painless, without any particular premenstrual signs or symptoms, is of sufficient volume and duration, is a healthy red colour, and is free from clots, when her digestion and elimination are good, energy good, sleep peaceful and sound, and appetite and mood are all good, then this woman is considered to be healthy and, if she has not reached menopause, she should be able to conceive.

The ‘ideal’ time to starting having treatments is at least 3 months before trying to conceive naturally or starting a cycle involving any Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Here’s why – your blood is the foundation of your health and determines the quality of your cells, hormones, tissues and organs – and your eggs and sperm. What you eat and drink each day helps determine your blood quality. It takes around 120 days for the red blood cells to regenerate, and around 150 days for a follicle to mature. Improvements in your health will increase gradually over three months of treatments providing you with the best conditions possible for conception to occur.