FERTILITY SUPPORT
Whether you are using assisted reproductive support (IVF/ IUI) or looking purely at an alternative approach, I will collaborate with you, advocate with you and provide needed support as you journey to bring your child home.
I create a trusting and empowered space, grounded in both experience and knowledge, allowing you to be seen, heard and understood on your journey to creating your family.
Pre Conception Nourishment- Cultivating the Soil
Preparation for conception reminds me of our family farm and all that happened in the months leading up to planting seeds in the field. The fields were put to bed before winter, some seeds were started indoors in the new year, the soil was turned and nourished, the barns were aired out and deeply cleaned. There was a quickening that happened with the first hint of spring. The decision to welcome and grow a new life within offers a powerful time to be present and embrace your vitality and wellness.
Eggs and sperm have a 3 month lifecycle. We take this 3 month period to combine acupuncture, nutrition, mindfulness techniques, and herbal formulas (for some clients), in an effort to balance you physically (hormonally, immune function) and emotionally as you prepare to expand your family.
Regular treatments through this period, will help regulate the menstrual cycle, improve egg quality and uterine lining, reduce pre menstrual symptoms and improve sperm quality. This creates the foundation that we will work from for either natural conception or Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF and IUI.
Medicated (IVF/IUI) Cycle Support
The fertility journey, and ART, can feel like a marathon . The goal is to have you come through this journey feeling centred, calm and empowered as you move through awaiting, receiving results and walking forward.
We will increase the frequency of treatments while moving through an IVF/ IUI cycle to support you both physically and emotionally.
Acupuncture can aid in mediating side effects (night sweats, mood swings, OHSS, insomnia) while supporting hormones contributing to follicular development and implantation of the embryos.
Clinical trials have shown that acupuncture performed before and during IVF increases blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. “link to Resource page for Studies.”
How Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine can help with Fertility:
Increasing blood flow to the uterus and ovaries
Enhancing follicle/egg quality and production
Thickening the endometrial lining to promote implantation
Decreasing stress and anxiety, which can lead to hormonal imbalance and failure to ovulate
Increasing the effectiveness and successful outcome of IVF and other ART procedures as well as treating the side effects that are common from the drugs used in these procedures
Improving overall health and well-being to help naturally facilitate conception and a healthy pregnancy
Recurrent miscarriages
Unexplained Infertility
Hormonal imbalance (elevated FSH levels, high prolactin levels, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels)
PCOS, irregular menstrual cycles, fallopian tube blockage, endometriosis & fibroids
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“Leisha is the first person I call when I need help. For 7 years now, she has been there for me with secret chinese chicken can’t-get-enough-of soup, with weird yucky oh-so healing herbs, with needles, and with great patience and compassion for by constant relapse back to my love for dairy and wheat! Leisha has metaphorically and physically held my hand and my heart through sickness, miscarriage, fertility treatments, birth, postpartum and now in motherhood. I trust her with my life and with the life of my daughter. Finding myself on her table is like being wrapped in the warmth of the sun and in the care of Gaia herself.”
“Leisha is an earth angel. She walked beside me through the loss of our child. She literally and energetically picked both my husband and I up, helping us find hope and moments of joy when we were in the depth of sadness. Leisha’s integrity, intuition and compassion are as deep as the light she brings when she comes into a room. She helped us bring this light back into our lives, transforming the boulder I carried into something I could hold with more joy than sadness. She was beside us through the emotional birth of our son and daughter and continues to support my overall health. I am forever grateful.”
“I was referred to see Leisha over a year ago when I was trying to conceive. I haven’t had acupuncture in the past but I knew from the first intake that it was above and beyond anyone else. I found Leisha to be a wealth of knowledge and support offering much more than acupuncture treatments. She listens to you and reads your body to provide you the most comfort. I am happy to say - I am now pregnant and couldn’t imagine this journey without her. Consider yourself lucky to see her!”
“Leisha’s care and expertise have been integral to the creation and overall well being of my family. Her exceptional expertise in acupuncture, diet, post-surgical recovery, fertility and pre and post-partum care has been invaluable. Through her nurturing and practical advice Leisha has helped guide me on the path towards optimal health.”
“I feel like I have known Leisha forever. From the beginning, she has treated me with compassion and integrity, especially when asking personal questions that evoke great emotion for me. I value the depth of knowledge and guidance that Leisha has shared with me on this fertility journey. I so look forward to my quiet morning appointments with Leisha so that I can relax and reflect before my day begins.”
“It has been such a pleasure to work with Leisha over the last 3 years for my 2 pregnancies. She provides gentle, knowledgable, intuitive guidance and support during such an emotional and trying time in your life. I always feel so much better after I have a session with Leisha and I know that working with her helped me to have two healthy pregnancies, deliveries and healthy babes. I highly recommend working with Leisha if you are trying to conceive, are currently pregnant and during the postpartum phase as well. She is truly a gifted and passionate health care provider.”
“Leisha genuinely cares for the well-being of her patients. She takes into account all aspects of life, both physical and emotional, when treating for infertility. I appreciate that she treats the whole person, not just the problem. Leisha is a delight to see each week!”
