Here at San Antonio’s Wellness Center, we work very successfully with fertility, pregnancy and other female health issues, especially menopause.

If you or someone you know has tried to get pregnant, you know that fertility is an expensive and often frustrating area of medicine. In our center, acupuncture helps clients conceive. Prenatal Massage keeps them comfortable during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Herbs, vitamins and minerals help support the body before, during and after pregnancy. And, hypnosis teaches expectant mothers mind control for a relaxed, pain-free delivery and helps eliminate their fears.

A landmark study published in the medical journal, Fertility and Sterility (April, 2002) found that acupuncture dramatically improves the chances of becoming pregnant when used in conjunction with other assisted reproductive techniques. Acupuncture helps to improve blood flow to the uterus to make it easier for the ovum to implant in the uterine wall. Like hypnosis and massage, it also helps to reduce stress, anxiety and the hormones that are secreted during stressful situations that reduce fertility. Furthermore, it can balance hormonal levels and the body systems that regulate ovulation and the menstrual cycle.

In our center, we have had numerous clients achieve fertility, including many who were unsuccessful using “standard medical” fertility procedures. For more information, check these references: “5 Ways Acupuncture Can Boost Fertility.” Prevention.com, 2002;
“Human Reproduction Journal, Volume 11, Number 6, 1996;
“Pins and Needles. Could acupuncture help promote pregnancy? ABCNews.com, April 16, 2002.

According to Eliahu Levitas of the Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, hypnosis can double the success of Invitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment.
Levitas’ study of 185 women found that 28% of women in the group who were hypnotized became pregnant, compared with 14% of those who were not.

The Israeli researchers were looking to see if hypnosis could make the embryo transfer stage of IVF more successful. “We gave hypnosis to a group of our patients during the most stressful part of IVF treatment - the transferring of embryos into the uterus,” Levitas told reporters. “It’s a crucial point of the treatment, and the point in which the embryos comes in contact with the womb of the woman. It all builds up to that special moment, which is not very painful but is very stressful.” According to Levitas, that stress can cause complications during the transfer that can put the procedure at risk.

6.1 million American women and their partners experience infertility, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Of those about 5% choose in-vitro fertilization treatment.

“Studies have been done before which claim that during this short period, there’s so much stress in the woman’s body that it may induce contractions, albeit tiny ones, which may interrupt or even expel the embryos from the uterus at the same moment we’re introducing them,” he said.

“Other techniques have been employed like relaxants and tranquilizers, but nothing has worked well. On the other hand, hypnosis has been known for many years for producing central relaxation, and has even been used before surgical interventions to calm patients,” said Levitas.

In my own experience as a hypnotist, I have witnessed mothers give birth without any other form of pain medication. With a well-trained hypnotist, hypnotic childbirth promotes a more tranquil delivery for mother and child, and a quicker recovery time.

In the very first childbirth in which I participated, nurses kept coming into the room saying, “Isn’t there a baby being born in here? Where’s all the screaming?” The first-time mom had also used hypnosis for fertility and for a symptom-free pregnancy. Even when moms end up having to have Cesarean sections, they remain calm and peaceful with hypnosis.

For pregnant moms, prenatal massage helps ease muscle tension, especially in hip flexors, hips and calves. It reduces lower back pain and helps move fluid that tends to pool in ankles and calves. A woman’s body goes through numerous musculo-skeletal changes during pregnancy to accommodate the baby. A pregnancy massage table has cutout pockets in the stomach and breast areas to allow Mom to lie comfortably on her back. Here at SAWC, we believe that the human body has an innate ability to heal itself, without pharmaceuticals. The modalities we integrate here help clients reduce stress and rejuvenate all their organs and glands. By calming their minds and regenerating their bodies, pregnant moms (or those wishing to be) can have a safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable experience.
Kathy Moore is owner of Moore Inspirations, a motivational consulting and hypnosis company that is part of the San Antonio’s Wellness Clinic. Her co-workers include: Ernie Akers, L.Ac.; Kathryn Flyr, RMT; and Sam Rodgers, Herbal Nutritionist. All are involved in women’s health issues.