Sperm have always been a precious commodity, given the critical role they play in generating new life. Even a relatively small change in the typical sperm count has a substantial impact on the percentage of men who will be classified as infertile or subfertile. It’s not just about sperm count, however; certain qualities, including movement patterns, are also essential for them to swim upstream to meet the egg of their dreams.

The psychological and medical burdens of dealing with fertility issues have been placed squarely on the women’s shoulders. Not only is this incorrect on the most basic level - given that it takes viable sperm + a healthy egg to create a pregnancy- it’s especially wrong now, when a high proportion of infertility issues can clearly be placed at men’s feet.

For couples who experience recurrent miscarriages, recent research has found that men have twice the level of DNA fragmentation in their sperm and 4 times higher levels of reactive oxygen species in their semen, which can cause DNA damage to sperm, than men whose partners didn’t have a history of miscarriage. In couples with recurrent pregnancy loss, the men also had reduced sperm mobility and morphology, compared to their peers.

The study of sperm began, unsurprisingly, in a fairly bizarre fashion. In 1677, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch tradesman and self-taught scientist who was fascinated with microscopes, collected his semen and examined it under a microscope, where he saw millions of tiny, wriggling shapes called animalcules (little animals) swimming in the fluid. He believed that each sperm contained a miniature, preformed human being that would unfurl and develop inside the mother after being nourished by the female egg.

Although acupuncture and Traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) for the treatment of infertility has been practiced for thousands of years, the combination of acupuncture with in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) has emerged in recent years as an effective method for improving pregnancy and live birth rates.

Jordan’s passion is to connect with others and increase their energetic vibration to guide them towards their true self. Her goal is to assist clients in reaching inner peace, harmony, and balance in their daily lives. Jordan loves performing soul healing and energy work for individuals who suffer from emotional and spiritual imbalances, which can manifest into common ailments and diseases. She views each person as a canvas that deserves individual attention and specialized treatment.

Lori Earley’s Story…

Upon becoming a student of Chinese Medicine, I also became a patient. At only 31 years of age, I had already been diagnosed with clinical depression, insomnia, anxiety, and an autoimmune disease, which left me feeling fatigued, foggy, and drained. The number of prescription medications were growing by the year, and I was relying on meds for daily functioning. After my first year of school, I was able to say goodbye to 80% of the pharmaceuticals with the help of acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Today, I only take one prescription.

Dear Patient,

I’ve been wanting to write this letter to you for a while now. I have so much I wish I could say to you, so much help I wish I could’ve offered. I’ve wondered what I could have done or said differently that would’ve helped you understand that trying acupuncture just once wouldn’t really be the life changing experience you were hoping or wanting.

At Phoenix Rising Acupuncture, we support women through the entire pregnancy journey, from conception and fertility to pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Monica Dayanand is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, a licensed acupuncturist, a women’s health and fertility specialist, and a certified postpartum doula who offers postpartum support and healing home visits.

At Phoenix Rising Acupuncture, we are here to support you physically and emotionally during this next step in your journey to parenthood. Acupuncture during pregnancy has significant health benefits for both mom and baby, and we recommend treatment throughout your entire pregnancy.

Traditional Roots, Modern Acupuncture

Phoenix Rising Acupuncture is a modern acupuncture clinic in the River Oaks area of Houston. Here, we use the tools we’ve studied that date back millennia – acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, plant medicine and herbology – to treat modern conditions, such as stress, anxiety, infertility, migraines, food sensitivities, allergies, and even ADD/ADHD and PTSD.

Although many women have been known to be able to give birth to breech babies vaginally, most doctors these days have little to no experience with this type of delivery and feel more comfortable performing an external cephalic version or scheduling a cesarean section if a baby is not in an optimal position (vertex, or head down) towards the end of a pregnancy; however, the good news is that there are natural ways to turn breech babies that have been used successfully for centuries.

Millions of women worldwide rely on birth control pills. Not only to prevent pregnancy but for cycle regulation, flow reduction, endometriosis and even hormone related acne. While many take the pill, it is important to note there are a variety of side-effects that every female should be aware of before taking birth control pills. These side-effects of birth control range from mildly annoying to potentially life changing issues.

Infertility is an issue which impacts one in six couples trying to have a baby. While the reasons couples experience difficulty becoming pregnant may vary, the struggle is the same. Thousands spent on treatments, time, effort, hormones, and the range of emotions couples endure is exhausting. Doctors have long touted the importance in folic acid for women during their childbearing years, as well as during pregnancy. One issue impacting infertility is a defect in the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase or MTHFR gene, but there is good news. Despite MTHFR, acupuncture for fertility can be effective.

Infertility is defined as the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve pregnancy in one year, but very few men or women are truly infertile. Most couples who have been given a diagnosis of “infertility” are merely out of balance, and from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, are entirely treatable. For the 1 in 8 couples experiencing infertility each year, acupuncture and TCM may be just what the doctor ordered. In fact, it has been shown that acupuncture boosts fertility rates for couples by enhancing both male and female fertility.

I recently received a call from one of my long-term patients, who over the past 6 months wanted to focus on boosting her fertility health. She was a regular patient who lead a very healthy, green, clean lifestyle, eating all the healthy organic foods, while carefully tracking her cycle and ovulation. Everything looked great on paper.

Not everyone is familiar with acupuncture and its process, and for many, it seems mysterious and unfamiliar, and even a bit scary or intimidating. After all, there are needles involved, but please let me assure you, that in the right practitioner’s hands, you will experience no pain or discomfort, and you’ll leave your acupuncture session feeling calm, relaxed, and recharged. This is the goal at Phoenix Rising Acupuncture: to feel better when you leave than when you walk in.

Endometriosis is an often painful gynecological disorder in which the uterine lining (the cells of the womb) begin to proliferate outside of the womb itself, like the bowels, the abdomen, and in rare cases even the brain and lungs, which can lead to severe and sometimes fatal events. Luckily, acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary modifications, and other natural remedies can be immensely beneficial in the treatment of endometriosis.