It’s the dawn of a new year and like any self respecting woman who just turned 30 I chopped off my hair and got a tattoo. I also started going to acupuncture…
Who knew that getting stuck with a bunch of needles could actually feel really good?
Yes, I know some people will think it sounds bizarre – or at the very least pscyhosomatic – but when I laid face down on that acupuncture table for the first time and Jony watched the acupuncturist stick tiny needles in me we were excited for the new experience. After putting a heat lamp on my feet, covering me with a light blanket and turning off the lights the soundtrack of Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon-esque rhythms lulled me into a state of such relaxation I couldn’t feel my hands and was drooling like a snoring toddler. Yes – I paid money to take a 30 minute nap with needles stuck in masterfully precise points in my skin – and I’ll do it again. In fact, yesterday was my 3rd visit to Nashville Natural Fertility and I already have the next two visits scheduled.
I chose this particular clinic after browsing their site and coming across a book that they highly recommend titled Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Natural Fertility
If you are struggling with fertility and haven’t read this book I can’t recommend it enough. The main focus is about listening to YOU and YOUR body and not just finding a quick-fix-one-size-fits-all method of getting pregnant, but diagnosing why you are not getting pregnant. It was so uplifting, enlightening, and encouraging. You will learn YOUR fertility type and feel a little less crazy. I had so many YES! They GET it moments while reading this book that it gave me a huge boost of confidence that I was choosing a clinic whose philosophy aligned with my own. (Note: they did not write the book, but it explains the way they practice.)
During our first visit he looked at my BBT charts (for those of you who don’t troll the fertility message boards, BBT = basal body temperature, its a proven method for tracking shifts in your lady cycle) and told me he could already spot an issue. Apparently I ovulate way too late — its called luteal phase defect and here is my attempt at explaining what it is:
- Let’s say you have a normal 30 day cycle. Somewhere around half way through you should ovulate. The phase after ovulation and before menstruation is called the luteal phase — in a perfect world that phase lasts between 12-16 days approx., but in the world of wonky hormones you may not ovulate until say, day 20… or later, meaning your luteal phase is way too short. Why this is a problem is because this is the time the lining of your uterus thickens and gets ready for that tiny blip to implant itself snuggly. It knows to do this because your estrogen levels drop and your progesterone levels rise and its the progesterone that tells your uterine lining to eat that extra slice of cake and not worry about the extra weight gain. But when that phase is too short and the hormones are not fluxing and shifting properly – no cake and most likely no implantation (or at least implantation becomes extremely difficult.)
Therefore – the goal is to get the whole cycle back in order, working in tandem, happy, healthy, and balanced. If you’re really skeptical about acupuncture as a treatment there many well documented studies (that I’m too lazy to cite – so get online and do some research) that link its practice to increased fertility. From a Western perspective it can be a little difficult to understand – this might help. There are no claims that this treatment is a cure all for infertility – but for Jony and I – we decided its a good place to start. I have been in and out of doctor’s offices since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease as a teenager. I’ve had brilliant compassionate doctors, and doctors I want to run screaming down the hallway in a hospital gown from. I’m not ready for hormone injections, fertility drugs and invasive procedures. If taking a nap on a massage table once a week for 30 minutes helps bring balance and healing to my body I am more than willing to give it a go.
God created the human body so expertly and so magnificently, and even though at times I feel like I must have been at the back of the line, I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. This may just be the first step in a very long and hard journey, or it may be the answer we’ve been looking for — I honestly can’t tell you. What I can tell you is that in 3 weeks I am already seeing positive changes in my life and that I am able to experience HOPE when there have been moments where it seems to be hiding from me.
If you’ve had experience with this kind of treatment of just want to ask me more about my experience I would LOVE to hear from you! Or if you just want to vent to someone who will listen, go for it! Here’s my email: emilymbos@gmail.com.
PRAYER REQUEST:
If you are one of those precious people in mine and Jony’s lives who have been praying for us I would humbly ask that you pray for continued hope, positive changes and healing in my body and for our finances. While going the route of natural fertility is actually significantly cheaper than many typical treatments (shots, drugs, biopsies, surgeries) none of it is covered by insurance – which means we have to pay everything out of pocket. We strive to be faithful and diligent with what God has given us and we have witnessed Him provide time and time again and we believe 100% that He is providing now!
