My name is Caroline and I am 33 years old. I live in Ireland and yes, it’s as green, beautiful and as cold as you have heard! Since the early onset of my menstruation at eleven years old, I have suffered from painful stomach cramps. Not the mild bearable kind, more like insatiable contractions and spasms that would last a full week of every month. Needless to say, back then, I had no idea about endometriosis or acupuncture. This monthly cycle of pain was exhausting, emotionally and physically. My social life was dictated by these pains, as I couldn’t comprehend being out and about during the peak of the pain. I internalized and normalized the pain. For many years, I wondered how other women coped every month and I felt like a failure.
It wasn’t until my late twenties, when my husband and I wanted to start a family, that I realized these pains were not as normal as I thought. After many failed months of trying to conceive, I visited my family doctor. After a discussion and full-scale hormonal blood tests, we realized I was not ovulating and that the level of pain I was experiencing was abnormal. He mentioned endometriosis was a possibility and I fell down a rabbit hole.
Endometriosis is a common chronic (long-term) inflammatory condition where tissue, similar to the tissue that normally grows inside the uterus, grows outside of the uterus. I couldn’t believe how I had never heard about this illness before. It is chronically under-researched and underdiagnosed. I had mentioned the chronic pain I was suffering through the years to different professionals, but it was brushed aside. Did I suddenly have a chronic illness I knew nothing about?
I visited a gynecologist and had keyhole surgery, known as a laparoscopy. The diagnosis was indeed endometriosis, and despite having a regular monthly cycle, albeit horrific, I was not ovulating. Conception was never going to happen if I was not ovulating. Where was I to turn to from here?
I started taking medication to boost my progesterone levels and increase the chances of ovulation. Every month my blood samples were taken and despite tiny incremental increases in the right direction, the numbers were just not strong enough to aid ovulation. I continued taking these and one day I received a recommendation for acupuncture from a friend. Honestly, I had never considered it and felt skeptical.
I researched an acupuncturist locally that specialized in infertility. This was where our narrative changed.
I attended with the hope of trying to conceive. Honestly, I was there to heal myself from the inside out. I appreciate this kind of approach may not be for everyone, but over eighteen months into our quest for a baby, I was pulling out the big guns.
After an assessment and some initial needling, I found out that there was too much heat in my body, excessive ‘Yang’. I was not Ying Yang, I not in balance. There was too much masculine energy in my body, and this was disrupting my chances of conceiving. The medication I was taking was working somewhat, but it was not enough in isolation.
I received some great advice about eating at regular intervals, the importance of a decent night’s sleep, and how steering clear of frequent high-intensity exercising may help reduce the heat and boost my ovulation. The practitioner recommended I take black sesame seeds and goji berries each day, to help my uterus.
A few short months in and the magic started. My sessions were weekly and after a few of them and my endometriosis pains reduced significantly. I greatly reduced my pain medication as a result and I started to listen to my sleepy cues. Also, I cut back on caffeine and alcohol but still enjoyed them in moderation. I was no longer delaying breakfast and was eating intuitively. Most of all, I was respecting my body for the first time in a decade.
Month by month, my hormone levels improved. My spark returned. My focus was on healing myself, as opposed to obsessing about conceiving; even though that was my ultimate and definite goal. I felt that acupuncture was finally treating my endometriosis.
One September morning, I woke up and was awaiting my period. I knew, I just knew. Despite many months of failed pregnancy tests and ovulation kits overflowing in my bathroom cabinet, I just knew.
It was 6:30 am and I decided to take a test, despite my period only being due that day. There it was, in black and white. 1-2 weeks pregnant. Years of pain from endometriosis, followed by slow and steady healing – acupuncture was the answer. So many emotions ran through my veins. For one of the first times in years, I felt truly proud of my body.
Acupuncture was the final piece of in curing my endometriosis. Our baby boy is now 8 months old and full of life. Every day, I am grateful for my diagnosis, which led me to the acupuncturist that enlightened me. I still live by the great advice I received, and I am delighted to have a natural path to complement the conventional medication I am on. I urge anyone who has been considering acupuncture, for whatever reason, to take a chance on it.
Today, I am certainly more Ying Yang.
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