2011 Reviews

Acupuncturist for Male Fertility

Dear Friends, Could someone please recommend an acupuncturist or any kind of naturopathic person for male infertility. My husband's sperm count is 5million which is really low compared to an average of over 20 million. And obviously we don't want to do any invasive procedures or take unnecessary chemicals. It will be great if this acupuncturist is an expert at female fertility and helping couples conceive. I am 40. But my tests have come back really positive apparently. But one can always use the help. Please help. We prefer anyone in SFO, Berkeley, even San Jose, Palo Alto. Anywhere, as long as they have shown results and know what they are doing. Thank you in advance. Kristina

Re: Recurrent miscarriage - resources & fertility recs
I can highly recommend that you talk with Leslie Oldershaw, a wonderful and very knowledgeable womens-reproductive health advocate who blends both Eastern & Western perspectives -- she is an accupuncturist. She has a beautiful, relaxing, and very professional practice at the top of Grand Avenue. She is also works closely with women to help them understand, research, and know their options in interacting with the world of fertility specialists. Her personal, wholistic, and caring environment made a huge difference in my experiences with challenges of getting & remaining pregnant.

If you do go the RE route, I highly recommend Dr. Richard Chetkowski who is a Reproductive Endocrinologist with his own practice near Alta Bates. I find, and know myself, that there can feel like a huge barrier or committment to talk with a RE. But, I highly recommend setting up an appointment to talk with someone like Dr. Chet. He is very clear-thinking and will be able to very quickly help you understand where you may fall in the realm of fertility issues and considerations. Of course, they will always be willing to move forward into helping you (i.e. starting fertility based assistance), but he would be a very clear and kind, experienced doctor, for helping you understand how your situation fits in the fertility world.

My experience is based on using Dr. Chetkowski & Leslie to conceive one healthy daughter (now 2), after dealing with an ectopic pregnancy & a number of fertility issues. I also worked with others, who were *not* good, and so have a strong basis for recommending these two. Good luck. reba

2010 Reviews

Re: Partner's zero sperm count
My husband and I saw Dr. John Nieters, our acupuncturist, both times we decided to conceive. Dr. Nieters checked both me and my husband. From friends I know many fertility acupuncturists don't check both parties. We were both treated and given herbs based on our needs. I didn't have much just the regular folic acid but my husband was told to take a combo of herbs to increase blood supply in that area. Dr. Nieters has has many clients who have had motility and count problems. I could not recommend him more highly. He continues his education and is always on top of his medical literature, both western and eastern philosophies. You can check him out on his site at http://www.johnnieters.com/ or call 510.814.6900 for an appointment. lex

Can anyone recommend a good acupuncturist for fertility? I have read some of the 2008 and earlier archived recommendations but would like to see if I can get some more up to date recommendations. On the East Bay would be perfect, but other places would be fine too. Thanks!

It was not as simple as downing a few herbs and getting stuck with a few needles. The first time (when I was 41) things were almost that ''easy.'' But the second time (when I was 45) she and I devised and implemented dietary and exercise changes in addition. It was pretty much a lifestyle overhaul. So Abigail is good. I continue to see her for perimenopause issues now that my baby is a year old. Her phone number is 845-8017. She is located on Dwight Way near Milvia in Berkeley. Best wishes to you

During my labor and delivery, she was there with massage and acupuncture, too. For my second pregnancy, I worried that my age was working against me. I saw Portia again and her treatments were fabulous.

And now even my two pre-schoolers go to her (flu, eczema, pain relief, etc). Go see Portia! Traditional Ways Healing Center, 6931 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530. infoportialee@gmail.com or office (510) 799-8788. Dara

Maureen was high energy and involved with my care, encouraging me to ask questions and maintain a relationship even outside of the visits, and helped me a lot with diet towards fertility.

I am currently seeing Nancy Rakela because her demeanor is very soothing to me, and she is clearly very experienced - not only with fertility (though that is clearly an important part of her practice), but also with other areas -- she is helping me with some severe skin allergies, probably related to fertility treatment. I could not find anyone other than Nancy (including my medical doctors) that had the expertise to help me with both. I feel like she treats me as a partner as opposed to a patient, and she is incredibly enjoyable to work with. She explains the rationale for my care and has credible answers to questions, but she is not pushy. Her experience is clear. Nancy's office space is also absolutely beautiful, peaceful and immaculate. Also, I am very pain sensitive and her needles haven't made me uncomfortable; which I did sometimes experience with other practitioners. Also Nancy's rates are very reasonable and she has a wonderful assistant in her office, and takes credit cards - which makes the scheduling and payment process much smoother - making the overall experience incredibly pleasant and easy. I really look forward to going.

I'd encourage you to talk with a few and see who you feel comfortable with, and don't be afraid to seek someone more compatible if the relationship isn't a fit. Nancy Rakela is at (510) 540-6267 and Maureen Raytis is at (510) 444-4141. Dedicated

She is very knowledgeable about treating fertility issues, as well as other medical issues, and her gentle manner makes the treatment very relaxing. She is warm and empathetic about the emotional issues involved in infertility. She prescribes herbs and will give diet and lifestyle recommendations, but not in a heavy-handed way. I highly recommend that you give her a try! happy client

2009 Reviews

Can anyone give a recommendation about Dr. Chen at the Oakland Acupuncture Center for fertility issues? I saw a post about him awhile ago with a phone number but only get an answering machine with an automated message on it. Thanks.

2008 Reviews

I am seeking an acupuncturist who specializes in fertility and pregnancy related issues. Any recommendations? Thank you. Christina

Looking for recommendation for an acupuncturist specializing in promotion of fertility/prevention of miscarriage. S

Lia is a down to earth, smart and warm practitioner who really cares about her clients. She's also very knowledgeable about herbs that support getting pregnant. I am grateful to her for being pregnant!!

She has a two offices, both in Berkeley and some some weekend hours. Her phone number is 510-858-6463. love lia's needles!!

As far as preventing miscarriage.... I would believe that if the miscarriage issues are related to your body being able to support a viable pregnancy (''normal, healthy'' embryo/fetus), Abigail would be able to help. But I really don't think that anything can help prevent miscarriages that are related to blighted ova, molar pregnancies, other serious chromosomal issues, etc.

I wish you the very best of luck! A lot of hard work and a ton of luck

Both women are warm and sincere with reasonable rates (important since most insurance either covers very little if anything). As mentioned in another post- Maureen is expecting and will be handing off her practice temporarily- so Christina may be your best bet at this time. Good luck! 42 and finally pregnant

I'm looking for recomendations for an accupuncturist to help increase my fertility as we get ready to do IVF. I've heard Leslie Oldershaw is amazing but she's also expensive and the IVF is stretching us to the max. My insurance wont cover any of this. All the previous postings on BPN are rather dated so I was wondering if anyone has more recent experience with an effective, kind and reasonably priced accupuncturist in the east Bay? Kate

I was wondering if anyone has experience/advice/recommendations re: acupuncture as a fertility treatment. I'm going to be starting IVF in late June (my previous IUI cycles ended in negative or miscarriage). I'm a slow responder to fertility meds and do not ovulate on my own (hypothalamus issues). Money is a factor for us, since we don't have insurance for the IVF, so our savings is already being ransacked. But, I want to do whatever I can to increase the chances. I've never done any kind of acupuncture and am unsure about it. (Also potentially interested in fertility yoga) m

Her offices are beautiful and relaxing and she is a caring and knowledgeable practitioner. She will even take time outside of normal office hours to give you a treatment when it's most crucial to the success of your IVF cycle (before egg retrieval, and before and after implantation).

I can't say enough great things about her. Good luck! Her website is http://www.eastbayacupuncture.com/ Expecting in October

Only 1 of the actions I took in my ''determined'' stage was a medical intervention. I visited Phil Madden at the Sonoma Valley Acupunture and Health Clinic,(707-996-6681). He is a person of intention, calm and integrity. Taking my situation very seriously, Phil consulted with other colleagues and created a liquid herbal concoction specific to me that I believe may have been a key ingredient in my successful pregnancy. I know this seems unbelieveable. But, remember, I had medical testing prior analyzed by many different sources and all agreed my case was dire. I realize Sonoma may be far for you, but you'll probably save money in the long run by going to the right person once or twice.

By the way, eggplant (from the nightshade family) and other foods cause miscarriage. I remember a book that listed all foods that cause miscarriage and infertility. Some women miscarry so quickly that they don't even realize they are pregnant. I'm sorry I can't find the name of the book. I know there is a book called: The Infertility Book. I can't remember if this is the book I read, but get one of these books (The Infertility Book can be borrowed through your library's Super Search from Sonoma Valley Library). - Love and Light to you. I understand

I am interested in hearing about recent experiences with Dr. Angela Wu in SF. I am forty and trying to conceive a second time. I have a son who is 18 months old. Thank you! Thanks for your time!

Good luck to you on your journey towards your second child. anon

I went to 2 other acupuncturists before I went to her, one I liked a lot better in the sense of feeling that I could talk to her better than Dr Wu and feeling like it wasn't so profit oriented but neither of the other acupuncturists had the gift that she had and that ended up being very important to me as we almost lost the baby and I credit her with being able to prevent a miscarriage. In addition she was the only one who was able to get my period started again.

So I think it depends how much time you have and how desperate you feel. If you have plenty of time and not much money go elsewhere. If you are desperate or have a history of miscarriage etc then you could check her out. Also, there are ways to reduce the cost - ask for 1/2 sessions, don't go every week when you are pregnant etc. anon

I followed her recommendations (dietary and otherwise) very closely, especially from the beginning through about 5 months of pregnancy. Within 8 weeks of starting treatment with her (herbs, acupuncture, acupressure and dietary changes), I was pregnant. I continued treatment during my pregnancy and had an extremely easy pregnancy--no morning sickness or nausea, no strong food aversions or cravings, very few aches and pains and no excess weight gain.

While I sometimes felt that she was asking me to have more treatments than necessary, and the monetary cost and time investment were quite high, I have to say that her treatment was very successful for me. It's a lot cheaper and less stressful than IVF, or at least it was for me.

If I have problems getting pregnant a second time I plan to go back to her. VW

2007 Reviews

I am looking for recommendations for an acupunturist that specializes in fertility issues. Price is a concern since there is no coverage with insurance. Attempting pregnancy for second child. Angela

There is another TCM dr I've noticed who also seems very talented, located in Marin and gives free advice on a website called www.IVFconnections.net (I know you didn't mention IVF but this website is great info even for those just looking to get pregnant the natural way) - look on the Bulletin Boards for IVF with Alternative Treatments under the Complementary Treatments and there is a thread ''Happy to Answer Questions'' and she answers all sorts of general and specific-to-you questions so this may be a good way to get some info w/o any costs if you have questions regarding what you could be doing. She also has a website www.ancasira.com been there

2006 Reviews

I am an almost 36 year old woman who is lucky enough to have 2 beautiful children. My son was conceived through IVF and my daughter was a miracle. My husband and I would love to add one more child into our lives. I have been diaganosed with poor egg quality - fsh was 7.5 day 3 and 14.8 day 10. We cannot justify IVF again and were thinking that accupuncture may help. I live in Walnut Creek and have been given a few names: Dr. Jorgen Jensen, Dr. Michael Boyer, Dr. Chai and Dr. Singular. Does anyone have any experience with them? Especially dealing with poor egg quality? We don't want to wait as these eggs aren't getting any better! We just want to know that we tried as many avenues as possible before we give up and move on with our lives. Thank you so much anon

Portia is very caring and understanding. She works WITH you, as opposed to just working ''on'' you. She has a gentle touch, poise and professionalism that made me feel very at ease. After getting pregnant, I continued to see her and she even came to the hospital after about 30 hours of labor to help my delivery move along.

When we start thinking about a sibling for our son, we will definitely see Portia again. She works at Traditional Ways Healing Center, 6931 Stockton Ave. in El Cerrito. Her office number is 510-932-4456. dara

Hi-- I'm being referred to an RE (age 43, d3 FSH 7 but estradiol 82; d10 FSH after CCT is 14.2) but have also wondered about acupuncture.

I've read the posts and will try Dr. Ou (on Grand Ave). On the phone, she didn't really have the time to explain how acupuncture can help. I know it destresses and can regularize menstrual cycles.

But, can my FSH be artificially or temporarily heightened by stress or irregular cycles, such that acupuncture can lower FSH? I know that I owe it to myself to give it a shot but I'd also like to know if anyone knows whether it can help bypass problems with poor ovarian reserve.

Unrelatedly, but if someone knows... can the presence of an ovarian cyst during CCT (which ruptured on d15 after having it for a year, probably due to the clomiphene citrate) create falsely poor results? The cyst definitely affected my hormones (PMS). Thanks for any ideas you may have. anon

I have also heard many acupuncturists talk about the benefits of acupuncture in terms of Chinese medicine, which I don't claim to understand. Dave

But I do think it helped in the sense that I felt I was doing all that I could do. And for me that was really important. I needed to give it my all so that ten years from now I would be ok with how things turned out. But who knows maybe the acupunture did really help and its benefits didn't materialize for several months!

And that is what is so hard about being where you are right now. Not having answers and not really being able to get them. It drove me nuts! There is so much that the doctors DON'T know. You just have to pursue this for as long as you feel comfortable doing so.

I had a wonderful fertility doctor who really got on my case about trying to figure out what all the numbers mean. I was 41 years old, my FSH was a depressing 19 and my periods were really erratic. A previous doctor had told me the only way I would become pregnant was to use egg donor.

The numbers mean something but they don't mean everything. Every month is different. Doctors cannot predict with accuracy your chances for getting pregnant. I know that for a fact. I went through four IVFs and the first three produced almost nothing. For the fourth and what was going to be the last IVF I produced a whopping nineteen eggs which resulted in my having a healthy daughter.

I think part of it was having made peace with all the fertility / pregnancy stuff. It wasn't 'giving up' in a negative sense it was just making peace with it. And you can't reach that space until you have traveled all the way through this journey you are on. I am so sorry you are having to go through this. Don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do. Find a kind and very competent doctor and pace yourself.

It is hard to balance doing whatever it takes with not exhausting yourself. And it is difficult to eliminate stressful things in our lives because change itself creates stress. Going through treatment for infertility is such an emotional rollercoaster and throughout it all we are supposed to relax!

I think you have already answered your question. You owe it to yourself to give acupuncture a shot. The only reason for not doing it is if it stresses you out financially or emotionally. If it creates any kind of strain for you then just let it go. anon

While there is some clinical evidence to suggest that acupuncture can help with fertility and possibly improve results of IVF, the data is far from conclusive. We decided to do the acupucture just in case. My strong word of caution is this: At 43 years, you should not be looking to acupuncture to increase ovarian reserve or egg quality. Go immediately to a good fertility clinic and consult with a specialist. Any good RE will be interested in anything that will improve your chances, including acupuncture. But time is of the essence. No one has yet found a means to reverse the aging process. I don't mean for this to sound too alarming, but from my own experience, delays can be costly. I hope you reach your goal of having a child soon. Best of luck! anon

2005 Reviews

Hi All, I am 40 and my FSH is 29!!. Practically all doctors have asked me to consider donor eggs. I heard acupuncture helps my kind of cases. I may go for acupuncture for couple of months and then try IVF cycle. I will appreciate if someone can recommend good infertility acupuncturists in bay area. Does anyone have any experience with Angela Wu or Lifang Liang in San Francisco. Any feedback/suggestion? Thanks for your help! Regards

I noticed the existing posting for accupuncturists/ herbal medicine is couple of years old. I would appreciate it if anyone has more recent experiences with Leslie Oldershaw, Marti Lee Kennedy, or Angela Wu in helping with late pregnancies & multiple pregnancies. Any other recommendation is also appreciated. Thank you so much.

Portia has been treating me since postpartum with my second child, and now throughout my third pregnancy (I am due in two weeks). She is nurturing and respectful, and I find her treatments to be both gentler and deeper than other treatments I have had before. She uses a lot of Moxa (heat), gives great nutritional recommendations, traditional medicinal Chinese recipes, and custom mixes her own whole herbs.

Although I do not think she specialized in pregnancy and women's fertility in school, it does seem to be the clientele that is drawn to her. I have only positive feedback to give, and I am grateful to have found her. I leave her office each time feeling rejuvenated.

She has recently moved her practice to a great office in El Cerrito q Traditional Ways Healing Center at 6931 Stockton Avenue. Anna I have had experience with both Leslie Oldershaw and Angela Wu. I was in my early 40's when I started trying to get pregnant and desperately wanted a baby. Traditional fertility treatments were not working. I later was given the name of Leslie Oldershaw by a nurse who worked in my fertility doctor's office. Herbs were offered but were optional (which was not the case with Angela Wu). I liked Leslie a great deal, and I credit her with the birth of my little girl. I had two IVF's that were not successful, and pending the 3rd try, Leslie worked on improving my uterine environment through acupuncture. I would highly recommend her! anon

Dr. Wu wanted to see me 2-3x/week and asked me to take MULTIPLE, expensive herbs. After much hesitation and skepticism, I ended up doing everything she recommended (including wearing red underwear and burning moxa 2 times per day) and beat the odds. At age 39, with an FSH of 18+, I had a successful 3rd IVF cycle and ended up with a beautiful, perfectly healthy baby girl. This was after several renowned Western fertility doctors told me I had less than a 5% chance of conceiving, even with IVF.

Interestingly, Dr. Wu told me all along that I had all the basics in place for a successful conception, but just needed to follow her program for 4 months. (She also accurately told me I was carrying a girl based on my pulse when I was only 10 weeks pregnant).

I firmly believe my daughter would not be here if not for Dr. Wu. Despite all that, though, treatment by her required a leap of faith, and a great deal of time, money and lifestyle changes.

After two years of trying to get pregnant, my husband and I decided to start seeing Dr. Wu for fertility treatment. We've seen her a couple of times, but are not sure we should keep going to her clinic. I read good recommendations on your website, but would like to know of more recent experiences. Have any of you been to her clinic recently? What was your experience with her? Did you have doubts at the beginning (whether you've treated with her recently or in the past)? Any other suggestions for alternative fertility treatment? Thank you very much

As a last resort, still believing in alternative medicine, I went to Nancy Rakela in Berkeley. She was kind, not nearly as expensive, and truly interested in me, not statistics. I got pregnant, stayed pregnant, and now have a healthy little holy-terror running around. I cannot say enough about Nancy.

2004 Reviews

Hi everyone - My husband and I have been struggling with infertility for a couple of years now and we're ready to look into alternative treatment. We're condsidering accupuncture/chinese medicine and we'd be interested in hearing about experiences folks have had with Leslie Oldershaw, Barbara Wilt and Sally Savitz. I've looked at past recommendations on the board...but I was hoping for a bit more. This is a really tough decision and it's taken me awhile just to get to this point. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks! Signed... Hopeful

I just completed an intensive course of treatment with her-- following nonsurgical treatment at UCSF for a brain aneurysm in November I was subject to blinding, migraine-like headaches (due to blood floating around in my brain, as they explained it) which the neurologists said I would continue to experience for up to 6 months; my first treatment with Leslie was a week after I got out of the hospital (10 weeks ago) and I have not had a single headache since I began!

Leslie is a great listener; she takes a lot of time with her patients and does a great job of asking questions to elicit information to help her in treating you. She is patient with questions and enjoys sharing her knowledge with clients. There is a bulletin board in her office covered with baby pictures from grateful parents whom she helped in their quest to conceive and bring to term healthy infants! I recently referred a family member to her for infertility treatment. Good luck to you! Jenny

2003 Reviews

I would really like to get a first hand recommendation on an acupuncturist in SF or the East Bay who works with women and increasing their fertility. Any recommmendations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for any advice or information! cindy

I have seen a number of posts recommending acupuncturists for infertility issues. I have always had irregular periods and had been on the pill for years so it wasn't an issue until I wanted to become pregnant. I ended up getting pregnant via clomid and now have an 18 month old daughter. We are thinking about trying for a 2nd child in 6 months or so, but until then, I would like to correct any ovulation problems that are causing the irregular periods. I would love to have a regular cycle so I don't need to go on the pill again. Has anyone used acupuncture to correct irregular cycles and did your cycles become regular on a long- term basis? I realize that alot of people use acupuncture to get pregnant but I haven't heard much about how it helps AFTER the delivery. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

So I went to see an acupuncturist my mother recommended, a highly- skilled Chinese man in San Francisco named Dr. Lai. He had been working on a family friend's eyes for years, basically keeping her vision going as long as he could (she was becoming legally blind).

He took one look at me, shook his head in distress, and told me I was too weak for acupuncture; instead he prescribed Chinese herbs (which his wife dispenses from the drawers covering a complete wall). I went home, followed the directions, and within 48 hours had stopped bleeding entirely. Within a week I felt better than I had before I was pregnant! I still look back with wonder at the sense of vitality those herbs gave me in such a short time; they really built up my blood quickly.

To make a long story short, he got me back on track and I conceived a child after six more very regular and manageable periods. I cannot recommend Dr. Lai enough; he is an excellent doctor and a very kind man who doesn't see the body as some kind of machine separate from the rest of you.

He is located on Geary Blvd, across from Kaiser near the hill where the old Sears building is. I don't know the address but I believe he is in the phone book. If you can't find him, you can email me and I will find out for you. Heather

I am trying to find a good acupuncturist and/or herbal medicine specialist to help me deal with my fertility issues. I have read the recommendations on the website but they are pretty old. I am looking for someone who has dealt with hormonal imbalance issues successfully. Trying to conceive again

Earlier Reviews

I am looking for an alternative to taking hormones to treat infertility - does anyone have a recommendation for an acupuncturist or other oriental medicine practitioner?

Another acupuncturist who specializes in infertility issues is Marti Kennedy on Ashby in Berkeley. Her number is 843-5000. She also has lots of experience and has helped many people. Either doctor can also give herbs to help hold a pregnancy, if there is possibility of miscarriage, and can help with any other health issues that might come up during pregnancy. In our case, we had been told it was "extremely unlikely" that we could conceive without intervention, and that even with in vitro fertilization our chances were low. When we saw Dr. Chiang, he said we both had low energy in some ways that affected our fertility, but that he thought we could be pregnant in three months if we took his herbs, and we were. Later, it looked like I was about to miscarry, and my ob/gyn told me there was nothing she could do. Dr. Chiang gave me herbs to help hold the pregnancy, and it was fine. We have a beautiful child now. We did a lot of research into both western medical and alternative infertility treatments. Good luck. -- Alexandra