In many Eastern cultures and lineages of medicine, it is recommended that women rest for 40 days after childbirth. They believe that ‘how we spend our first 40 days postpartum is how we spend our next 40 years’ - we can chose depleted, or nourished and thriving!

“The natural rhythm of the Earth and Life—is that there is a period of growth and a period of rest. This is how balance is created. Pregnancy represents the time of growth, and therefore the postpartum period represents the time of rest. In the modern world, there is no value given for rest—modern culture is focused on constant growth. To reset in the postpartum time, is to be in harmony with the natural rhythms of Life. To be in harmony with the natural rhythms of Life is our path to health” —Rachelle Garcia Seliga, CPM

In many worldwide postpartum traditions, it is inherently understood that in the time following childbirth, the mother is more open than ever before. If she takes this time to care for herself, she stands to strengthen her body, mind and heart in profound ways that will benefit her for the rest of her life. Simultaneously, this will address and mitigate any weaknesses, imbalances or ailments that had been prevalent prior to birthing. Conversely, ignoring this critical period of self care and rest can cause pre-existing imbalance to worsen and new health problems to arise. Postnatal care also promotes hormone health and fertility for future pregnancies.

Studies have shown that mother’s who have support in this time are more likely to thrive and specifically less likely to experience postpartum anxiety, depression and difficult breastfeeding.

Because it takes three months to grow a follicle that will become the egg (oocyte) at ovulation, it is ideal to start treatment three months before you are hoping to conceive. This gives us time to work with the follicles from the very beginning of their cellular growth, ensuring optimal quality and health of the oocyte released at ovulation, and therefore increasing chances of successful conception.
Sperm production also occurs in 3 month cycles, so for optimal sperm health the same treatment timeline is recommended.

Male infertility is implicated in about 30% of cases where couples cannot conceive. Research has also shown acupuncture can boost fertility in men. A number of studies demonstrate the benefits of Acupuncture on sperm health, quality and motility:

A 2005 study published in Fertility and Sterility showed acupuncture treatments increase the number of normal sperm and decreasing the number of defective sperm.
When a group of infertile men received twice weekly acupuncture for 5 weeks, they observed a significant increase in the percentage and number of sperm with no structural defects, and there was a notable improvement in the sperm’s structural integrity. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16009169/
In a randomized trial of 57 patients with very low semen parameters, those who received twice weekly acupuncture for 6 weeks showed significantly improved sperm motility as compared to the sham (fake) acupuncture group. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028209004312
A before and after study looked at the change in fertilization rates for IVF/ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) procedures involving men with semen abnormalities and at least two previous poor outcomes with IVF/ICSI. After 8 treatments of acupuncture, their fertilization rates increased from 40.2% to 66.2% - that’s a 165% increase! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12658811/

Necessary nutrients for sperm production: selenium, zinc, L-carnitine, CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, lycopene, and Vitamins A, B, C, and E.

Male fertility support: Ubiquinol: supports energy production in reproductive cells L-Arginine: benefits sperm formation and motility Acetyl-L-Carnitine: benefits sperm formation and motility Omega 3s: reduces inflammation, supports health cell growth and hormone production Vitamin C: supports healthy sperm cell growth Vitamin E: improves sperm motility and overall quality Selenium: lost in semen and deficiency is linked to poor sperm count, motility, & morphology Zinc: supports sperm production and testosterone metabolism Vitamin B12: promotes healthy cell replication