The Acupuncture Pregnancy and IVF Support Clinic

01/08/2026

Winter is Yin time and sometimes Yang (warmth) is low. Here is how to nourish your bodies warmth in Winter (Yang). If you've been feeling cold to your core lately cold hands, cold feet, a tiredness that sleep doesn't quite fix winter tends to bring this pattern to the surface. ❄️

In Chinese medicine, this is often a sign of Yang deficiency. Yang is the warming, activating energy that keeps everything moving: your digestion, your circulation, your hormones, and your cycle.

For fertility, Yang deficiency can show up as delayed cycles, pale blood, a cold lower back, sluggish digestion, or a deep fatigue that rest doesn't seem to touch. Also feeling the cold very easily.

The good news? Yang responds really well to nourishment. And many of the foods that build Yang are exactly what you'd reach for in winter anyway.

Start here:
🍗 Warming proteins: chicken, lamb, prawns, mussels
🌰 Walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts
🫚 Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, fennel
🍵 Chai or jasmine tea instead of cold drinks
🥣 Rice porridge with cinnamon and nutmeg on cold mornings

You don't need to overhaul everything. Just shift your meals in a warmer direction and see how your body responds.

If you're trying to conceive and you recognise this pattern, this is a really worthwhile time to get some support. We'd love to help. 🌿

📅 Book a consult: acupuncturepregnancy.com.au

31/07/2026

What conference! 🙋‍♀️sooo …. Your gut, hormones, ovaries and environment are all in the same group chat… and apparently it’s really chaotic. 👀

Our takeaways from 2 days packed learning about hormonal health?

A few ACNEM takeaways still living rent free in our brain:

👉Your changing oestrogen can affect your gut microbiome… which means less microbes and could help explain the sudden bloating, constipation or food sensitivities that seem to appear in your late 30s and 40s. Also maybe connected to brain fog ?? Doctor's Data, Inc.

Thanks Rhiannon Hardingham prezzi on Soy isoflavones … showed evidence that they may help soften some of the hormonal highs and lows of perimenopause… rather than simply “adding more oestrogen” they can act to modulate the roller coaster 🎢 of estrogen !

Nicole Bijlsma Microplastics and endocrine disruptors are everywhere… so stop heating food in plastic, rethink fragrance, and consider filtering your water. I loved 🥰 the line ….

“If you don’t filter your water, you will be the filter”

Dr Leah Hechtman And your ovaries? They are doing far more than making eggs. They are connected with metabolism, bones, brain, cardiovascular health and ageing.

The big message: your hormones are not working alone.

Your gut, environment, nervous system and metabolism are all part of the story.

Honestly… fascinating, slightly terrifying and very motivating. 😅🧠✨

Thank you Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine for incredible integrative event! 😍

28/07/2026

Winter is one of the toughest seasons for s***m health and most men don't know it. If you or your partner are trying to conceive, or preparing for an IVF cycle, this one's worth reading. Swipe through. 💙

📅 Book a consult: acupuncturepregnancy.com.au

28/07/2026

Why does the famous "acu nap" do? 😴

You know that feeling...

You lie down for acupuncture.

Thirty minutes later you wake up wondering whether you slept for five minutes... or five hours.

Welcome to the acu nap. 😴

It's one of the most common things our patients tell us, and there may be some fascinating physiology behind it.

Research suggests acupuncture stimulates sensory nerves in the skin and muscles, sending signals to the spinal cord and brain. This may influence the autonomic nervous system, helping shift the body from a heightened "fight or flight" state towards a calmer "rest and digest" state.

That may help explain why so many people notice:

😴 Slower, deeper breathing
🤍 Less muscle tension
🌿 A greater sense of calm
🔥 A warm, heavy feeling throughout the body
💤 And of course... the famous acu nap

So what does this have to do with fertility?

Researchers are also investigating whether some of these same nervous system effects may influence reproductive physiology. Studies suggest acupuncture may:

🩸 Help reduce sympathetic nervous system activity
🩸 Promote relaxation of blood vessels (vasodilation)
🩸 Influence blood flow to the uterus and ovaries
🩸 Affect signalling within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, which helps regulate reproductive hormones

While these mechanisms continue to be studied, many people choose acupuncture alongside IVF because it may help them feel calmer, sleep better, and feel more supported during what can be a physically and emotionally demanding journey.

Sometimes, that 30-minute acu nap is exactly what your nervous system needed. 🤍

Acupuncture should be provided by an AHPRA-registered practitioner. Acupuncture is not a replacement for fertility treatment or medical care, and individual responses vary.

27/07/2026

Never had acupuncture before? We get this question a lot and we love answering it. 😊

✨ Wondering what actually happens during a fertility acupuncture appointment?

If you've never had acupuncture before, it's completely normal to feel a little unsure. Most people tell us afterwards, "That wasn't what I expected... it was so relaxing!" 💛

Here's what a typical first appointment at our clinic looks like:

🌿 We start by getting to know you.
We'll talk about your menstrual cycle, fertility journey, medical history, lifestyle, IVF plan (if you're having treatment), and any questions or concerns you have. Every person is different, so every treatment is too.

👅 We look at your tongue and feel your pulse.
These are traditional Chinese medicine assessment tools that help us build a picture of your health and guide your treatment plan alongside your medical history.

🩺 Your acupuncture treatment begins.
Very fine, single-use sterile needles are gently placed at carefully selected acupuncture points. Most people are surprised by how comfortable it is. You might feel a tiny pinch or a dull, heavy sensation, but many points aren't felt at all.

😌 Then it's time to simply rest.
For the next 20–30 minutes, you can relax, breathe and switch off. Many of our patients drift off to sleep, while others enjoy having a rare moment of complete calm.

💛 When your treatment finishes...
Many people tell us they leave feeling calmer, more grounded and better able to cope with everything that comes with trying to conceive or undergoing IVF.

Your first appointment is a 70-minute comprehensive consultation, giving us plenty of time to understand your story, answer your questions and create a treatment plan that's tailored to you.

If you've been wondering whether acupuncture could be right for you, we'd love to welcome you into the clinic and talk through your options.

📅 Book a consultation at acupuncturepregnancy.com.au

22/07/2026

Ever noticed your period feels different in winter?

Heavier, more painful, or just a bit off? In Chinese medicine, there's a very specific reason for that and some genuinely practical things you can do about it. Swipe through to learn more. 🥶

📅 Book a consult: acupuncturepregnancy.com.au

22/07/2026

Winter is the season we pull these out in clinic. Two recipes we share with patients that are safe during conception and pregnancy and genuinely effective.

Onion-infused honey
It tastes better than it sounds, we promise.
Organic onion is antibacterial, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory. Non-heat treated honey is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. Together they make a simple, powerful immune tonic.

How to make it:
Combine 1 diced organic onion with 2–3 tablespoons of non-heat treated honey in a glass bowl, just enough honey to form a paste

Cover and leave on the bench for 4–5 hours until the onion releases its juice
Strain off the onion (save it for cooking if you like)

Keep the juice in the fridge — take 1 tsp daily as a preventative, or every couple of hours if you're actually unwell

Supercharged chicken soup
For when a cold has already arrived or when you want to make sure it doesn't.
10 cloves garlic, smashed · 1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (or 1 tsp dried) · 2 tbsp minced ginger · 1L chicken stock · 1L water · 500g diced chicken breast · 1 bunch coriander (leaves picked, stems and roots chopped) · ¼ cup mirin or rice wine · ¼ cup tamari

Simmer garlic, turmeric, ginger, stock, water and chicken until cooked (about 10 mins). Add coriander, mirin and tamari just before serving. Add noodles while simmering if you'd like great for kids too.

Stay well this winter. 🧡

📅 Book a consult: acupuncturepregnancy.com.au

21/07/2026

The Alexandria ladies love a long lunch, and this one came with plenty to celebrate. 🤍🥂

We finally got together to celebrate our Clinical Director, Amy, and her marriage to George, complete with the sweetest gift: hand-carved Chinese zodiac animals, a Dog for Amy and a Tiger for George. 🐶🐯✨

We also raised a glass to Jacky as she steps into her new role leading our Westmead clinic, and officially welcomed our newest Alexandria practitioner, Rebekah Ray, to the team. 🌿

Good food, beautiful gifts, exciting new chapters and a table full of wonderful women. 💛 #

21/07/2026

19/07/2026

One of the main meridian systems that goes through our uterus starts at the ball of our feet.

This point is “Kidney 1” and its’ biological element is related to water with an inclination towards the emotion of fear.

So when trying to conceive we want to reassure the uterus that it’s is safe and warm definitely that it’s not cold or stuck or in danger.

It’s essential that our energy (or Qi as we call it)
is free flowing.

We need to reassure our body that it’s safe to be in “breed and feed” mode.

We need to remind it that it’s not trying to protect itself in a state of “fight or flight” adrenaline mode.

It’s definitely good to go barefoot in the grass sometimes - but when it’s cold remember to keep your feet warm.

Doing this will promote blood flow that circulates to the uterus and reassures it that it’s safe. It also means that warm and energy flow continues to uterus and keeps uterus health.

In Chinese Medicine sometimes period pain and infertility can be cause by cold in the uterus, so keeping everything warm, and toasty is perfect environment for seed to stout!