TCM - Traditional Chinese Medicine

Since science had no solution, the small amount of information I found on the internet pointed me to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It sounded a bit far fetched at first but I was willing to try anything for just a chance at another baby--heck at this point, just another menstrual cycle. I dove right in, ordered a book called The Infertility Cure and made an appointment with a local acupuncturist.

I won't go into too many details about the experiences but I will let you all know exactly what I did--because that's the kind of information I was looking for when I was researching. I ended up going to two acupuncture clinics. The first is a solo practitioner (Dr. K). He is Korean and I believe very much the real deal. I consulted with him initially and still use his services today. He told me I had a lot of pelvic and back inflammation. His acupuncture was more aggressive and direct. I felt like he was targeting the specific areas of my body and really trying to make changes. He would make a few dietary suggestions (lower my carbs/sugar) and prescribe herbs from time to time. He also told me to take a prenatal vitamin, folic acid and a baby aspirin. Other than that, there was not a lot of talking. He would ask a few questions but mostly just dive right into the acupuncture.

The second clinic I visited for five months (The Clinic). Although they also performed acupuncture, I liked this clinic more for their mind/body wellness. They listened and gave a lot of suggestions on diet and supplements. I would describe the acupuncture as more relaxing, less clinical and it was the same every session. The diet they recommended which I began strictly following was no carbs, no sugar, no dairy. I would most closely describe it as a Paleo type diet--meat and vegetables. They would also prescribe herbs but I really can't tell you what kinds. I know at first they were to combat hot flashes and restore calm and later to help with the stages of my cycle. The vitamins I took included;

B Complex - one per day
Once Daily - one per day
Pro Omega D - two per day
DHEA 25mg - two per day
System Enzyme Complex - three per day
Vitex - one per day

In addition to this, I would perform castor oil packs occasionally. This is where you soak a piece of wool/cotton in castor oil. You lay the cloth on your lower abdomen and place a heating pad or hot water bottle on top for 30min-one hour. I found this through another blog and felt like it couldn't hurt. I intended to do them every other day but realistically it did not happen. I probably did 15 total in a 4 month period.

For exercising, Dr. K recommended some cardio/leg workouts - such as stair master or biking. He was very big on blood flow and getting the blood moving up from my legs through the pelvis.