Amanda Roe: Acupuncture and Clinical Hypnotherapist.
Call 087 6331898
Email: amanda@marketstclinic.com
Getting to know your cycle and working with the natural rhythm of your body is key to enhancing fertility.
Many women spent their most fertile years trying to avoid getting pregnant and the monthly bleed may be inconvenient or a huge relief.
Some contraception choices mean there is no menstruation at all and the only connection with your cycle may be pain or feeling out of sorts.
Menstrual flow is a good indicator of general health, as well as fertility.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers every detail of a woman’s cycle as an important part of the diagnostic process.
These details include the duration, the colour, and volume of the flow, as well as emotional or physical changes and whether your cycle is longer or shorter than the 25-35 day normal range.
I encourage clients to keep a diary to help them to get to know their cycle. This will include charting physical signs and how they are feeling.
Cervical secretions are the most reliable indicators of fertility. Copious amounts of thin, watery transparent secretions that resemble egg white indicate that ovulation approaches and that there is a hospitable environment for sperm.
Charting your BBT (basal body temperature), which is taken first thing in the morning after a good night’s sleep and before getting out of bed or drinking anything, will help to identify the subtle rise in body temperature that happens immediately after ovulation. It will also give you a visual representation of the follicular and luteal phases of the cycle and help us to understand which parts of your cycle need supported.
Charting your BBT is really helpful, however it is important not to become obsessed with it, as your temperature can vary for may reasons including stress, infections, alcohol, medication or even a late night.
Assuming you have a regular 28-day cycle, the first 14 days of your cycle before ovulation is the follicular phase. Days one to five, the endometrium (lining of the uterus) sheds and one or more follicles in the ovaries with eggs inside them will begin to grow. After the period, the endometrium will regrow from nothing to a thick padding suitable for the implantation of a fertilised egg.
Midway through the cycle ovulation occurs when an egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube.
Luteal Phase: As soon as ovulation occurs, the follicle, which contained the egg, transforms into a corpus luteum and produces progesterone, as well as estrogen in preparation for egg fertilisation and pregnancy.
For anyone experiencing fertility challenges, these phases can be too long, too short, or irregular. Charting your cycle provides a visual representation of these phases, that can help to pinpoint which parts of the cycle are problematic and track the progress made from treatment to treatment.
Charting your cycle is a helpful tool that guides acupuncture treatments designed to regulate the menstrual cycle or treat fertility problems.
Research shows that acupuncture is used successfully to regulate menstruation, relieve pain, balance hormones, reestablish ovulation, treat endometriosis, PCOS and other underlying conditions that are preventing conception.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used for thousands of years to support fertility and are a complementary therapy provided by fertility clinics worldwide for IVF and assisted reproduction.
Amanda Roe is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Acupuncturist, Life and Health Coach providing holistic solutions for your mind, body and emotions. For more information you can contact her via her website www.roehealth.ie or call/text 087 633 1898
