Alternative Treatments

Where to start:

• Check out the following Creating a Family radio shows that have addressed alternative treatments in infertility:
  • December 29, 2010: Using Yoga, Nutrition, and Acupuncture to Help You Get Pregnant
  • December 16, 2009:  Acupuncture and IVF
  • January 7, 2009: Using Traditional Chinese Medicine to Treat Infertility
  • January 16, 2008: The Mind/Body Connection in Infertility
  • December 12, 2007: Alternative Treatments for Infertility

• Fertility Wisdom: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help Overcome Infertility by Dr Angela C. Wu is a great introduction to how Traditional Chinese Medicine can be used to help enhance fertility. Fertility Wisdom emphasizes the parts of TCM you can do on your own to increase your fertility and has one of the best explanations I’ve found on how to use foods as a part of TCM. I interviewed Dr. Wu on the Jan. 7, 2009 Creating a Family show and was impressed by her down-to-earth and practical approach to TCM. She believes in working with Western infertility treatment and explained how TCM could help increase the effectiveness of western medicine.

• Dr. Randine Lewis is a wonderful resource. She is the author of The Infertility Cure:The Way of the Fertile Soul. Dr. Lewis is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who studied both Eastern and Western medicine. She attended medical school and then earned graduate and postgraduate degrees in acupuncture, Oriental medicine, and alternative medicine with a focus on infertility. She directs Fertile Soul Retreats. I found her books to be very balanced and respectful of the strength and weaknesses of both eastern and western medicine. More information can be found at www.thefertilesoul.com.

• Acupuncture to Treat Depression in Pregnancy is a recent study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

Support Groups:

• Trying to Conceive has several online support groups that focus on alternative treatments for infertility.